Oh, Brother
by DarkBluePapillon
Summary: A strange man is spending a lot of time with Marinette, and Adrien wants to know why. He refuses to believe that they are dating, but they were unnaturally close already. Now Chat Noir has to find out what is really going on while keeping his budding crush on his princess a secret... Rated T to be safe: includes mild cussing, injuries, and mild suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, beautiful people! I got bored waiting to post another chapter of my other story, so I decided to post a new story! I'm not sure how often I will post on this story, but I have quite a bit of material already. I hope you enjoy this story, reviews are always appreciated!**

"Chat Noir! Stop with your flirting and be helpful!" Ladybug shouted as she dodged another beam.

"I am being helpful! I'm complementing our polar-opposite powers, and how we are meow-gnitized to each other, My Lady!" he quipped back.

Ladybug couldn't help the grumble that escaped her lips as she dodged another beam. The new akumatized villain was a young university student. It's the week before midterms for students at university, meaning that stress levels are high for everyone. Although she herself is still in college, she felt the stress too. They too have tests next week, though not as detrimental as in university. The bakery has been extremely busy with those who get snacks for study groups, or those who stay at school late for those same purposes. Late nights and early mornings with studying (and duties of course) and helping her parents in the bakery were taking its toll on her.

This akuma in particular had a large project due in her science class. She had this assignment assigned to her since the previous spring, so she has worked intensively on it for near half of a year. According to what Ladybug has picked up, it seems that someone sabotaged her and placed a magnet on her data, ruining it in the process. Now her powers involve said magnet, and she can magnetize and demagnetize whomever and whatever she chooses. Unfortunately for her, that means Chat Noir has practically free range in puns. The fight just began, and she already has a headache from the many puns he's spouted thus far. "Just stop punning and get to work, I have somewhere to be!" she shouted a little more cross than she intended, but Chat didn't seem to notice.

"With purr-leasure, My Lady!" Luckily for them, despite having to dodge her many magnetizing beams, she was relatively easy to beat. It wasn't even an hour until she was defeated, which had interrupted their outdoor classroom session and cut only a few minutes of their lunch. It was early fall of their last year at college, being in grade 11, before they would go to university. Luckily today was a beautiful day, quite possibly the last beautiful summer day before fall rolls in.

Marinette inhaled deeply as she walked inside the school to her locker to exchange her belongings. Before she could close her locker, she was tackled into a tight hug, emitting a light squeal from her. When she turned around, she realized that it was Alya who tackled her. She sighed as she believed that she would be okay, only to take one look into her friend's eyes and know that she was screwed. Gulping, but young heroine braced herself for the worst. "H-hey, Alya, w-what's up?"

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?! Girl! You freaking vanished on me! POOFED OUT OF THIN AIR! You can't keep doing this to me, girl! You're going to give me a premature heart attack!" At least Marinette was decent enough to seem guilty, even though she really was. She didn't like lying to Alya, but she couldn't help but to do so in order to protect her.

"What did she do?" a voice asked behind her, causing her to squeal once again, this one louder than the first one. She whipped around to see the equally surprised and guilty Adrien behind her. He began scratching his neck nervously as an apology for scaring her. She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart as she felt her face going ablaze. One would think her blush is from her crush on him, but they couldn't be more wrong. She still likes him, but as a friend now, almost a brother. Not on Nino's level, or even Kim's, he was just close to her on a different level. She realized a year ago that after pining after him for a year, she couldn't last very long, it was doing… things, to her. She would psych herself out, stress, and even go into depression at times because of her crush on him. When she began seeing him as a friend and not a crush, she began to notice that he was more of a dork than she originally thought. It was still endearing, but he was no longer on the pedestal she used to put him on. She actually preferred being his friend than being something more. It would be nice, sure, but now she felt like it wasn't really meant to be. At one point, the four of them were drinking at Alya's house, and all got different levels of drunk. Alya and Marinette would dance with each other while Nino and Adrien would spout insults to each other. Marinette and Adrien would flirt shamelessly with each other, while Alya and Nino would go who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. One of those times when Adrien and Marinette were alone, she confessed her feelings. She doesn't really know what all she said, being so drunk, but from what they talked about the next day, it seems like she told him that she liked him ever since he gave her his umbrella and it continued to grow from there. But she also admitted whilst drunk that she no longer harbors such feelings anymore, that he's like her best friend, besides Alya. He was like the Chat Noir to her Ladybug, and she subconsciously laughed to herself at the irony. When he told her all of this, he had a light blush to his face, no doubt embarrassed over the whole thing. But when he mentioned the part about the Chat Noir and Ladybug thing, his blush deepened ever so slightly and there was a new light to his eyes, something that Marinette couldn't place… was it hope of some kind? What kind of hope? "Uhm, yeah, I'm sorry Adrien if I made you uncomfortable. But it's all in the past now, and now you know. We can move on, okay?" she remembers saying. She also remembers the drainage of color from his face and the slight droop of his shoulders. She couldn't say what that was from, but she didn't relish on it at the time.

"Sorry, Marinette, I truly didn't mean to scare you like that," his deep voice brought her back. It has been two years since they all met, spare Nino and Marinette, and everyone has changed, at least slightly. Both boys were slightly taller and more muscular, Adrien far more than Nino, while the girls became curvier, once more, Marinette more so than Alya. Before when they met, Alya already had curves, having matured faster. Marinette didn't grow in the right places until about a year ago. Her once old figure that was lean and muscular, only seeming to have curves in her spandex, now had an hourglass shape to it. She hated to admit it, but Adrien shaped up just as well to contradict and compliment her. His once lean body has, in a sense, beefed out. His legs grew about twice the size along with his arms, his chest puffed out a bit, and he actually has a six pack now. She only knows this due to his newer modeling audience: older teens and young adults. He modeled for swimsuits last spring, showing his refined figure. She won't admit to how many hours she spent staring at his photos. Nope. It didn't help that his voice got deeper, sounding heavenly like an angel, and equally sending shivers down her spine. If he was the angel, then she was definitely going to hell.

"I-it's okay, Adrien," damn, she thought she could control her stutter, but she can't help it if she doesn't prepare herself. "Alya already had me on edge-"

"Just because the shit you pull every time an akuma attacks!"

"What shit?" Nino piped up.

"She always runs away from me when there's an akuma."

"Maybe because you follow the akuma every time and your ass needs to be saved," Marinette mumbled to herself, where Adrien somehow heard and snorted, causing her to smirk ever so slightly. Unfortunately, she always forgets that Alya's reporter hearing is top notch.

"Excuse me if I want the best blog in the world about the best heroes in the world to have the best footage of that sort of stuff! Trust me, if it means that we'll be saved by them, then it's worth it. You're safe as long as they're there!"

"But why be there so close when it would be easier for them to fight not having to worry about saving or protecting other people?" Marinette piped up, and for once, Alya couldn't think of anything to say. "Anyways, a lot of the time I either lock myself up or I get trapped somewhere. Rarely do I fall victim though, so don't worry," she tried to console.

"Oh really? Then what happened to you this time?"

"Euh…" she began. It didn't take much to make up what happened, but still she didn't want to say it. "I got magnetized to a tree…"

"…"

"…"

She knew that was a lame excuse. Trees can't be magnetized, but the victim's powers allowed anything to be magnetized. Still, it sounded stupid to her own ears.

"Magnetized… to a tree? That's ridiculous."

"Don't sound so sure, Alya," Adrien stepped in. "That akuma was a pretty nasty one. She was magnetizing anyone to anything. I saw it with my own eyes," Adrien tried to help, only to receive three incredulous stares from his friends. "What?"

"You mean to say…" Nino began.

"You left the school, which was locked down-" Alya continued.

"To chase the akuma?! ALONE?!" Marinette all but screeched. While Nino and Alya were looking at Adrien like he was crazy, Marinette had a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. Was it fear? Concern? He wanted to scoff at their expressions, but then they would question him. He can't really tell them that he's perfectly safe, that he was Chat Noir. Nope. But he couldn't help but to roll his eyes.

"I was perfectly fine guys, I was well hidden and Ladybug and Chat Noir had her handled. It didn't take long to defeat the akuma."

"Maybe this time, but what about all the other times? Were you hidden and safe all those times too? Would they have been able to protect you if something happened?" Adrien turned surprised eyes to the voice, Marinette's, which surprised him further. "What if, what if you're not so lucky next time," she all but murmured. "Please, all of you. Please promise me that you'll try to stay far away from any akuma. Please," she begged.

Adrien could tell that Alya wanted to protest, but all of them agreed, nonetheless. Marinette sighed a breath of relief, finally releasing the tense atmosphere. They walked out of the locker rooms and into the fresh fall air, relishing in the warm sun and the crisp breeze that blew around them. Today was peaceful, despite the akuma. It was early fall, so the warm days still lingered, hence their outside session. This peaceful atmosphere couldn't last, however, as the lunch bell rang off in the distance, they were broken out of their reverie when a painful screech pierced the air. Glancing towards the source they knew was to be Marinette, they were surprised to see her already gone, with a literal dust cloud in her place, so much so that they could've found it comical if their ears weren't in pain. "Sorry guys," they heard a yell ahead of them, causing them to look. "I promised my parents that I'd help in the bakery! I need to help them with some chores at home too, I'll see you in class though!" and then she promptly disappeared behind a wall.

A couple moments of tense, awkward silence ensued, before Alya broke it. "Well, that's our girl. I wonder what those chores are, she normally doesn't have chores until after school. Oh well, but we should follow her example. Care to join Nino and I, Adrien? We're trying out that new café down the road," Alya suggested. Adrien thought it was sweet that they still tried to invite him to places. He knew it wasn't out of pity or anything but seeing how they still wanted him to feel included whenever possible made him warm up inside.

"Sorry guys, I have a photoshoot during the lunch period. If all goes well, I should make it to class on time. Besides, I don't want to be a third wheel to your date," he insinuated with a wink, causing them to blush. It was no secret to anyone that those two have begun a relationship, but they still got a little flustered whenever someone brought it up out of nowhere.

"W-wait, it wasn't-"

"It's not like that, it's-" they both began, only to be interrupted by Adrien when he raised his hand for silence.

"It wasn't going to be a date to begin with, but now you have no one stopping you, so go enjoy the new café as a date," he ended with another wink as he walked to his awaiting car. He waved one last time to his two friends, who had blushes adorning their faces (Nino more so than Alya), and then closed the door. He placed his bag at his feet as the Gorilla pulled away from the curb, choosing to glance out his tinted window. They were just passing by Marinette's bakery as she ran inside, making him smile.

"Stop gawking at your girlfriend already, your sighs are making me nauseous," a voice drawled beside him. Before Adrien could answer, he received a nose full of awful smelling cheese.

"Geez, Plagg. What did I say about bringing that cheese so close to my face?" he asked rhetorically as he plugged his nose. "Besides, Marinette isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend."

"Yes, and those sighs and the looks you send her way every day aren't the same ones you give Ladybug," Plagg said sarcastically as he swallowed his cheese whole. Adrien decided to ignore his friend as he continued to look out his window, also the heat slowly rising into his cheeks. It didn't take long to reach the location for the photoshoot, where Adrien would have to spend most of his time modelling with about five minutes to spare to eat lunch. He sighed as he placed down his bag and got changed.

He was half right in his assumption for the shoot. It did drag on for what felt like an eternity, but he had about ten minutes to eat lunch, so that was a plus. It felt like a long drive back to school, but that was probably his exhaustion, despite it only being two in the afternoon. Even Plagg was silent, most likely sleeping in his bag. _I wish I could take a cat-nap right now_, he commented dryly before he stopped. He wanted to snicker for his pun, but all he could manage was a mixture of a smirk and a grimace, releasing a soft groan. _No wonder Ladybug groans after my puns, perhaps she's too tired to laugh at them. I wonder what makes her so tired?_ Once again, the drive to school was spent wondering about his lady, which proved fruitless.

Adrien went straight to his classroom and sat next to his awaiting friend, whose girlfriend gave him an energetic wave and smile while he held out his fist in greeting. He couldn't help but to smile as big as he physically could at that moment and reciprocate the fist bump and give Alya a small wave of his own. "Wow, dude. No offense, but you look like death," Nino commented directly. Adrien wanted to laugh at his forwardness, he truly did, but he was too tired to do much. His girlfriend, however, had plenty of energy and hit his arm, and by the way Nino flinched from her it was somewhat hard.

"Nino! That was rude! That shoot must've been a tough one, huh?" she asked gently after she scolded Nino, who was still rubbing his arm with a small pout on his face.

"Yeah, Vincent was very eccentric today, but wanted everything 'absolutely perfect' for the upcoming winter line. It didn't help that some of the other models were acting up. I guess I should call myself lucky that we finished early."

"You actually got to eat today, dude?" Nino asked with a surprised look, but one filled with amusement. "What is this world coming to? First an akuma attack, and then you get to eat?! What's next, Marinette coming early?" His last comment made all three begin laughing. The class filled up with everyone but the aforementioned girl. Everyone was talking quietly amongst themselves until the teacher walked in, where they promptly finished their conversations.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry about the session being cut short earlier, but hopefully we will finish our assignments before tomorrow?" Madame Bustier stated with a knowing look at everyone, gaining nervous laughter by most of her students. She shook her head in amusement as she placed down her stack of books and papers, before beginning to hand out said papers. "Now, for today's class, we will be-"

The classroom door opened with a bang as Marinette ran in, face flushed and hair disheveled. Her already red face from her presumed run over here turned even more red by the disapproving look Madame Bustier sent her way. "S-sorry, Madame Bustier."

"Marinette, please refrain from entering my classroom in such a manner next time you are late, would you?" she sent a small scowl her way, before it disappeared into a kind smile. "Now, please sit and I will begin discussing what we will be doing." The class filled with small laughter as she quickly took her seat, the loudest being Chloe, of course, but not in the way one would think. Over the last couple years, Chloe decided that she wanted to change, seeing how things wouldn't go her way like they would before, so she figured she wanted to be a bit nicer to others. Surprisingly, her and Marinette became close over the last year. Still not as close as Alya and Marinette, but they would occasionally go shopping together and such. She still wasn't 100% nice, she would show her cruel streak occasionally, but normally it wasn't so bad anymore. Marinette discovered she normally only says something if she feels insecure about something or wants that something.

Marinette sent a playful scowl her way before sitting down and practically flopping over her desk, eliciting a questioning look from her three best friends. She waved them off, letting them know that she would tell them later. Later took about ten minutes as Mme. Bustier described their next project and presented examples. When the boys turned around, they were beaten to the question as Alya demanded answers with the spark of her eyes.

"Stop looking at me like that, Alya, you're acting as if the reason I was late had something to do with the secrets of the universe. You know I'm late quite often."

"Yes, but I also know your parents hardly ever have you do chores during your lunch break, so spill, girl!"

Marinette released a small giggle before speaking, not realizing that her giggle caused a small blush to appear on Adrien's face, but he squashed it down quickly. "Well, we had to deal with the bakery for the first hour and then quickly cleaned the rest of my house-"

"The entire house?!" Nino practically shouted before Adrien elbowed him. "Sorry, that just sounds like a lot."

"No, not really. We keep it pretty clean all the time, but we did a little extra cleaning and rearranging for some reason."

"Think family is coming over?" Alya asked.

"I doubt it, we didn't do much when my uncle came over."

"Weird. Wait, but the whole house, do you also mean-"

"Yup, even there."

"No way!"

"I'm sorry, I'm lost. What's 'there'?" Adrien asked confused.

"It's a spare bedroom the Dupain-Cheng's have that they only open for family and guests to stay in," Alya waved dismissively to him. "So girl, who do you think it is?!"

"I honestly have no idea, Alya. My parents just said that it has been a long while since they last cleaned it, so they wanted to clean it."

"That's a bogus excuse," she commented dryly. "That's on your level of lame excuses." Adrien didn't know it was possible for someone's expression to go from sickly green to an extreme pale with rosy cheeks so quickly. He watched as the girl with red cheeks scratched the back of her head and shuffle her feet, a nervous habit she must've picked up from him, he thought with a small smile. "Come on, girl, you MUST have an idea!"

"I'm sorry, Alya, I just don't know. That's honestly what they told me, so I don't know what you're expecting-"

"Marinette, Alya, I hope what you're talking about is in relation to your project?" Mme. Bustier interjected with a stern brow, eliciting a nervous giggle from the pair as they set to work on their project.

The second half of the school day went a lot slower than the first, but when the final bell went off the small group seemed to release their own sighs for their own reasons. Adrien was still exhausted from the akuma and shoot he had earlier, Nino and Alya went on their date doing who knows what, and Marinette… well, he didn't know with Marinette. She looked tired, just like him for some reason, but also super tense. Whenever someone walked past, she jumped ever so slightly with a small 'meep.' He waited until she switched her books at her locker and made her way to the door before he approached her. "Hey, Marinette?"

He knew that she would react, but he didn't know to what degree. He certainly didn't expect her to literally scream and ram herself into the lockers. Quickly running to her side, he planned on apologizing and helping her up, when she waved him off. "I'm fine, Adrien, I guess I'm just a little jumpy today," she admitted with an embarrassed giggle. That didn't help his guilt, nor stop him from helping her up.

"Why are you so nervous? If I can ask," he began awkwardly, not wanted to overstep his boundaries.

"It's fine, you're not being nosy for asking," she laughed. He was always amazed by how easily she could read him. Thinking about it, Marinette has truly grown in the last two years. She was a lot more confident around him, joking with him occasionally, even yelling at him when he rightfully deserved so. He wasn't going to mention how she's filled out her wardrobe, that she now has a perfect hourglass figure, or that her slightly longer hair drove him crazy every time it brushed her collar bone- _stop it, you perv! She's your friend, she won't see you as anything except a friend. Wait, what?_ "Anyways, I guess I'm just nervous about what Alya said. She's right, we normally don't prepare the room unless someone is staying in it. The only thing is, I haven't been told who it is going to be. So I'm just confused on what to think. I don't know, I feel like I'm overreacting."

"No, not at all! If I was in that situation, I think I would be nervous too in that situation. I see it as a science variable: _b_ is going to follow if _a_ occurs, but if _c_ is taken out-" he began rambling before another loud laugh stopped him. He turned towards the sound to notice Marinette trying, and failing if he may add, to hide a large grin that almost split her face. Once he took in her expression, what he was saying came flooding back to him, causing his honey-glow face to turn a beet red in embarrassment.

"Way to make me feel better using science," she snorted. Adrien couldn't help but smile at her amusement, despite it costing his own reputation.

"Any way I can help," he mockingly gestured with a slight bow, releasing a little Chat Noir personality. It's not like he doesn't do something like this that often, in fact he does it constantly with his three best friends ever since he accidentally slipped some Chat Noir-level puns a year ago. They realized he's just as goofy as the hero, and it is part of his personality, so they embraced it just like they embraced him. Surprisingly, Marinette was the one who embraced him the most after his catastrophic blunder before; she seemed to relax a lot more around him and even joke back with him. This would be one of those times, where he was still in his slight bow before she scoffed and pushed him away from her ever so slightly, bringing a larger smile to his face.

"You're such a dork! But really, thank you, Adrien," she ended with a bright and genuine smile, causing his heart to skip a beat, confusing him greatly. They were broken from their moment when she got a text notification, and one quick look at her phone made her release another squeak and give a quick goodbye before bolting back home again. He could only gaze at where she stood once before shaking his head in amusement and making his way to his fencing class.

Marinette didn't know why she felt like she needed to run back home, the text her maman gave her only said "We have a guest in the house, so be polite when you come home." Perhaps it was because she's been so anxious to find out the reason why they cleaned the spare bedroom, and now she knows that Alya was right. Maybe it was also because neither of her parents told her who was staying, and now she can discover herself. It could have also been that her and Adrien were left alone and were talking comfortably with each other. True, they've gotten extremely close over the last couple years, but that school-girl crush still stubbornly lingered in her brain, and sometimes her heart. She would sometimes become bashful whenever they were alone together and there was nothing but silence, and awkward silence at that. She cringed as she thought that he must see her as a crazy lady for sprinting back home twice in one day, and the fact that today she was squealing more often than not. But then she remembered how he made her feel better by comparing her nerves to a science problem. He was smart and all, but also pretty dense when it came to complex emotions, and she kind of liked that about him. She couldn't help the slight giggle when she remembered his embarrassment when he realized what he said to her, but she relished in the warm feeling that she knew she made him feel better about it too. All of her thoughts came to a complete stop when she realized that she was standing right in front of her front door, and that's when she noticed it. The bakery below her feet should be loud with business, but all that she could hear was silence from below. She focused her hearing to her front door, which was difficult due to the thickness of it, so she wouldn't be able to hear anything unless she placed her ear to the door itself. And that was exactly what she did. With her ear flat on her door, she could hear her maman and papa talking in the kitchen, presumedly to the third person that must be in there. She could tell from the distance of her maman's voice, she must be in front of the oven making dinner while her papa is near the island. There was laughter, so the guest must be familiar with them somehow. She grumbled to herself as she figured that the guest wasn't talking at all, so she couldn't tell who it could be. A sudden voice seemed to pierce through her despite it being blurred through the thickness of the door.

"Marinette should be here any minute, unless she stopped to talk to one of her friends," she heard her papa say. She took a deep breath before beginning to twist the handle to the front door, when her papa spoke once more, "or she was listening outside the door the whole time." She hated how smug he sounded, it's as if he knew the whole time. With her face ablaze, whether it be in embarrassment or anger, she burst open the door to look at her father with what she hoped was a furious glare, but most likely ended up being more of a pout. "Ah, there she is! Just the young lady we were talking about!" her father exclaimed jovially. Before Marinette could retort, however, the third mysterious voice finally spoke up.

"I don't see a young lady in here, other than maman. All I see is a little pipsqueak," the tenor voice teased from behind her. Marinette wanted so bad to tackle the person who called her a pipsqueak, she really did, but when his voice registered in her memory, she couldn't help but to forgive him and launch herself at him in a tight hug. He quickly embraced her and spun them both around a few times, wary of the furniture around them.

"Anthony! Oh my god, why didn't you tell me you were coming home?!" Marinette asked, trying to hold back tears of joy.

"I wanted to surprise you, so…" he drawled before he placed her down in front of him and raised his arms comically to the side in jazz hands, "surprise!"

"It was a surprise, alright," Sabine, their mother muttered from the kitchen. "He called this morning after you left for classes, asking us to keep his arrival a secret. Of course, we didn't have enough ingredients for dinner tonight, so-"

"Wait, so THAT'S WHY I had to help in the store and clean? Because HE was coming?"

"Your brother has a name, Marinette," their maman chastised teasingly. "And yes, I'm sure you figured someone was coming, seeing how we cleaned the spare bedroom."

"Yes, I did, but you also said that we were cleaning it because it hasn't been cleaned in a while."

"That was true as well, pumpkin," Tom spoke up. "It hasn't been cleaned in a while, so it needed to be ready for Anthony when he arrived."

"So… you fibbed. I guess Alya was right," Marinette mumbled as she ran a hand down her face in exasperation.

"Don't think of it as a fib, Mari, it's more of a half-truth," Anthony snarked with a wink, earning him a playful elbow to the ribs.

"That's enough, kids. Now, how about you two go talk elsewhere, I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about." Sabine wasn't able to finish her sentence before they ran off upstairs to Anthony's old room, the spare bedroom. Tom chuckled behind Sabine while she shook her head at them. "Kids."

"Yes, kids. Our kids, and we couldn't love them less," he stated as he kissed the top of Sabine's head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, beautiful people! As I stated before, this story will only update occasionally, but I figured I better share the next chapter. I have up to chapter six ready to post, but I'm going to wait it out a bit so you aren't waiting forever for another chapter later on. I hope you enjoy this story! The next two chapters are quite longer than the first and this chapter, but it is worth the wait! Stay tuned!**

Saying it was a disaster upstairs would be an understatement, it was more of a pandemonium. Marinette raced up the stairs before Anthony, making her way to his room. He quickly caught up to her, having skipped every other step and was currently trying to shove her into a wall to beat her. What he didn't take into account was how strong she was, with her being Ladybug and all, not that he would know though. He had a rhythm going, Marinette discovered. He would try shoving her to his left every other left step, so when the next shove came, she was prepared. She stopped abruptly, causing him to lose his balance and ram right into the wall, tripping him. Using his disorientation, she quickly jumped over him and ran the rest of the way to his room, not withholding her urge to stick her tongue out at Anthony. She just jumped onto his bed when he burst into the doorway, eyes wide and frantic, as if he just saw Ladybug herself (queue her inner joke). Marinette couldn't help but laugh at the face he was making, throwing herself back against his pillows with her arms around her head in victory. He slumped against his doorframe ever so slightly with a pout before making his way over to his bed and flopping face first onto his mattress. "Oh, is someone being a big baby about losing?" Marinette teased.

"That's because you cheated, you dirty cheater," he mumbled into his comforter. Marinette could only guess that his pout deepened while he stated that, and she could only laugh at the image that popped into her head.

"Oh, come on! It's been two and a half years since you visited! Don't ruin it by pouting," she teased once more, and this time she struck a cord with him. He quickly raised his head and turned a hard scowl to her. Anyone else would have found said scowl intimidating, but with his ruffled hair everywhere (a lot like Chat Noir's) and the pout still a little present, she couldn't help but snicker. She also couldn't help but ruffle his hair even more, his dark brown tresses only fluffing more, if that was possible. He quickly pulled away and sat up on his bed, trying to shake his hair flatter, but it was no use. His hair was far too thick to style it without mousse. He grumbled as he directed another glare to his little sister, who was still snickering, but it was quickly replaced with a squeal as he effortlessly pushed her off his bed. "Hey!" she cried indignantly, to which his response was a booming laugh, a lot like their father's laugh. His laugh was so pure and contagious that she couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips either.

"Well, it seems you're still small enough for me to push you around, huh?" he teased.

She grumbled before crossing her arms over her chest, sitting up on the floor. "I'm smaller than you, of course it'd be easy to push me around. You have papa's monstrous strength and size, I got more of maman's genes."

"That's true, you are a bit of a shorty," he said as he took his place next her on the ground.

"I am not! I'll have you know that I'm one of the taller girls in my class!"

"From what I've heard, there's not a lot of girls in that class to go by," he smirked.

"It's divided in half between girls and boys, it's balanced out," she huffed while she directed herself away from him.

"Ahuh, and how many girls are taller than you?"

"Two. Juleka and Chloe, and Alya is the same height as me."

"And how many girls are shorter than you." Her eyebrow twitched as she didn't want to admit this to him. It would only prove him right, so she tried to keep her silence, but he began poking her shoulder to get her to talk. "Marinette? Pipsqueak, you need to answer or I'll be able to claim this victory," he stated, all smug. His smirk only deepened as he decided to go in with the finishing blow, by poking her ribs from the back. She released another squeak as he began to tickle her, turning into a tackle very quickly. "Admit defeat! Confess how many girls are shorter than you!"

"O-okay, f-f-f-ine! Ther-there's thr-three g-g-g-girls short-shorter than m-me! Hahaha!" she admitted between laughs. She was thankful that he stopped tickling her, but he continued to tackle her on the ground, laughing as he relished in his victory. Said joviality didn't last long, however. Once her handicap of laughing died down, she was able to gather the strength to reverse his hold, and it took no time at all to have him lying on the ground beneath her in a straddle pose, with his arm being held in the middle of his back. "Who's the victorious one now?" she teased with a challenging smirk. He tried wiggling out from underneath her, but to no avail. She was too strong for him now, not that he'd admit to it. He tried with all his might to release her hold, but it was useless. With a cry of 'uncle,' she released him and sat to his right with all the arrogance as her partner after he irritated an akuma with one of his puns. Anthony pouted once more before sitting up again.

"So, little sis, where did you learn to fight like that? Last time I visited, you could hardly take something from my hands, let alone tackle me to the ground," he threw a suspicious glare her way, which only caused a guilty blush to appear on her cheekbones, looking away so he couldn't read her.

"W-well, I have a friend who knows karate, and him and I spar sometimes." It wasn't technically a lie, Adrien sometimes showed her his moves, and even sparred with her. Not to mention her and Chat have fought side by side for three years now, or the fact that Tikki lent her some other abilities. She knew it wasn't good to lie, but this was a half-truth, as he stated earlier. She couldn't just admit that she was Ladybug, no way. Tikki told her long ago that she could tell a select few people she trusted to reveal her identity, but only if she would be able to know and handle the consequences.

He considered her for a few intense moments, seeming to dig right into her very soul for answers, before he couldn't find anything else for the moment, so he only shrugged and stood, making his way to his mirror. He was about to grab his mousse and style his hair before she spoke up again, "are you planning on going anywhere today?"

"No, I just wanted to fix my hair a bit, because _someone_ had to ruin it," he sent a playful glare.

"What can I say? At least I know your weakness," she admitted with a shrug and a small smirk.

"My hair is NOT a weakness! I just don't want anyone to see my hair like this."

"No one is coming here besides your family, Tony."

"You never know, your boyfriend could come over," he winked at her through his mirror, noticing the slight blush that bloomed across her face. She shook her head, and the blush mysteriously vanished, confusing him greatly.

"I guess I forgot to tell you, but I decided to move on from Adrien." She was startled when his mousse clattered onto the floor.

"What?! Since when?" he inquired, surprised.

"Last year. We sort of got drunk-"

"Underage…?"

"-and I sort of confessed to him my feelings, but I also confessed that I got over him too."

"How do you know you said all of this? You must've been extremely drunk to be able to admit something like that," he commented dryly with a hint of rebuke.

"Well… he sort of… told me the next day," she spoke softly, knowing what was to come, but it didn't happen like she thought it would.

"Oh. How did he take it?"

Marinette was surprised he wasn't yelling again. She thought he would've been surprised at this information, and he was at first, but now he was cool as a cucumber. She didn't understand him sometimes. "Well, he was kind of embarrassed to tell me everything that happened, but he seemed fine with it."

"Really? I find it hard to believe that the totally awesome man-candy you gushed about all the time would just 'be fine' with it. What did he say _exactly_? What was his body language like?"

Marinette stuttered with her answer, having it be so long ago she couldn't exactly recall everything at a moment's notice. But after a minute of contemplating, most of it came back to her. "I could've sworn I saw something in his eyes, a spark, but I'm not sure what sort of spark it could've been. His shoulders slumped slightly, but it was barely noticeable, so I could've been imagining things. I'm not sure why he would react in such a way though, he's never seen me as anything but a friend," she ended with a small sad lilt. She could feel her brother staring at her, for what reason she couldn't say, but it began to make her uncomfortable. Moving back onto his bed, she laid down casually as he continued to fix his hair. Anthony might have looked like he was still styling his hair, but he was half watching Marinette in concern and half contemplating on what she said. There's no way Adrien fashion-model Agreste would not have at least an inkling of a crush on her. He's heard from their parents and the girl herself about how many people have confessed to her over the years. Either he was dense… or gay. But he doubted the ladder. He supposed the only thing he can do is study the matter himself.

"So, have you made anything new, sis?" he changed the subject casually, knowing that this topic would easily distract her from his schemes, to which he knew he was successful when she stood upright and bolted through his door without another world. He didn't even flinch at the action, he was actually expecting it, and the confirmation never ceased to emit a low chuckle from him. She came back just a moment later with her fairly used and abused sketchbook in hand, bright smile causing dimples to appear and her cheeks to glow. It's not that she didn't take care of her sketchbooks, she loved them with all of her heart, but she used them so often that they wore down quite easily. From the way this one has worn down so much since her birthday when he gave it to her, it seems this one was one of her new favorites, and she has been using it constantly. "Have a lot in there, spots?" he asked.

Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes at his nickname, he occasionally calls her that due to her wearing polka dots most of the time. She also found it quite coincidental that she was Ladybug, that was known for her spots. "Yes, I use this one constantly! The paper is great material and the pencils that go with it flow so easily! Thank you again, Tony! Are you sure it didn't cost too much?"

"How many times do I have to answer this, Mari? It was well within my price range. Besides, why would I want to spoil you with such lavish gifts when you're spoiled rotten here at home?" he retorted as he poked her cheek, insinuating that she was chubby. She could only stick her tongue out in retaliation over his action. He gently took the book from her grasp and studied the cover before opening the book. Normally her sketchbooks her parents and friends would get her were pink or polka dotted, or a combination of the two, but this last time around he got her a blue sketchbook. Although her favorite flower was a cherry blossom, he knew that she also loved roses. The background of the cover was a sky blue, with a large white rose in the middle whose pedals were accentuated with darker blue, silver, and black lines. The rose, to him, represented her innocence and natural beauty, but also her strength and resilience. Blue was a calming power color, one of subtle confidence. He never told her how much the cover reminded him of her, or how highly he thought of her, just that he thought she would like it. He wasn't wrong, that she would like it, but he was proud in the fact that she could tell how much thought he put into finding the perfect cover for her. Shaking his head from his deep thoughts, he opened the book and had to hold his gasp over designs that flooded the pages. Most pages consisted of dresses of all seasons, but other pages had random sketches of jackets and pants, and even costumes. He raised an articulate brow at her when he reached those pages, to where she could only shrug her shoulders in slight embarrassment before explaining that they were costume concepts for her friend's comics. "So… are you planning on making any of these costumes, then? For your friend, I mean."

"Well, no, not really. Unless he asks if I could make them."

"Interesting. I'm sure he appreciates your effort." There was an awkward silence that followed, as he was casually looking through her book and devising a plan to investigate Adrien, while Marinette was silently freaking out over the fact that some of those costume designs were ones she wanted her Ladybug costume to become. He couldn't know she was Ladybug, no one can. It's too dangerous, she rationed. Despite Tikki saying she could tell, she didn't know if she should. She trusted her brother, but she didn't want to risk having him in danger. "These are great!" he startled her out of her musings. "Are you planning on putting these in your portfolio?"

"Some of them, yes. The spring line portfolios are due for the internship I want in a few weeks, and I only need a few more dress designs," she muttered awkwardly. It's not like she didn't like talking about her designs, but she felt that this conversation was really going nowhere. She knew that Anthony didn't understand that side of fashion, and he was only humoring her, and she loves him for that, but she knew that neither of them really liked talking about things the other didn't know about. Being the obviously more sensible of the two, she decided to change the subject to his tour he just had. His expression went from a soft, admirable glow turned into a blinding gleam as he told her all of his favorite memories of his recent travels. He hasn't been able to come home in two years, since Marinette started college, so he had quite a few stories. He lived with a smaller group of his friends, who were also his coworkers, and they all travelled together. They all had separate jobs as photographers, critics, and journalists for the travelling journaling company _Travel __à la Mode_, where they all travel to different cities or countries and critique all the most talked-about sites. He was one of the two photographers of the magazine, while there were three journalists, two editors, and one 'crew leader' to ensure they get everything done. However, Anthony stated multiple times that he helps the crew leader organize everything due to her anxiety attacks. She doesn't have them very often, but when she does, he's there to help her. Marinette always teases him that he likes her, and at first he would just brush it off or dramatically claim otherwise, but nowadays he develops a slight blush. _Looks like I have some dirt on him too,_ she thought.

Time flew by and before they knew it, it was time for dinner. It was filled with funny stories and jovial laughter, mostly directed at the kids (most noticeably Marinette), and plans for the near future. Anthony finished school two years prior before he went on his trip for his job, so he didn't have to worry about testing, and he wasn't going to let Marinette forget it. Being six years older than Marinette gave him the advantage of finishing his two-year degree after university in photography and journalism to be able to come home for a few weeks for her fall break. He would have three weeks to spend with them while Marinette would have two weeks off. His working group had the same thought process, going home to their families for three weeks before they head off travelling again. All of them had siblings, but only him and Tifanny, the crew leader, had one sibling, while the others had at least three. Most of his team lived in France, while three lived in Italy, two in Germany, and one in England. They all met at the secondary college, and quickly became friends and were all conveniently hired in the same magazine distribution company, where they created _Travel __à la Mode_. Their next location of interest would be Russia, where they would need to meet another friend they met in college who went back home to Russia for her own magazine company. Marinette wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was sort of envious of Anthony, just because he could travel the world, while she was stuck at home. But she figured she would get enough travelling in when she becomes a famous designer.

After dinner, they spent about an hour playing a board game, watched a movie together, and then called it a night. It was only ten in the evening, and Marinette wasn't tired yet, so she decided to design for a bit. She was just climbing her ladder to her room before a hand grabbed her wrist, making her look downwards to find Anthony smiling up at her.

"Hey, pipsqueak. I can tell you're not tired yet, and I still have a bit of jetlag from being in America. Want to spend some time with your big bro?"

"What's with you and American slang?" Marinette teased with a growing smirk.

"What can I say? I was traveling in the States for two years," he stated rhetorically as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, I guess that's fair. Just let me grab my sketchbook and I'll be right there."

"Gotcha!" Marinette couldn't help the laughter bubbling in her chest as he ran to his room in a giddy frenzy, just like a child on Christmas morning. She rolled her eyes at the comparison and emerged into her room, where Tikki met her midway with a large smile plastered onto her face.

"Well, it seems like your brother wants to spend as much time with you as possible," she chirped.

"I would hope so! I haven't seen him in over three years, and our availability to Skype one another is pretty rare. To be honest, I'm excited to spend time with him too," she ended with a soft smile.

"I can tell! For humans, three years away from family is quite a long time! At least you two are still close!"

"Me too. I hear about siblings that leave for a short amount of time and change so much that they aren't as close to their family anymore. I was so worried that would happen to us, but I should've known that wouldn't happen. He's still the same old goofball I've grown up with," she stated with a fond shake of her head.

Tikki could only smile at her chosen, knowing her fondness of him overpowered even that of any sort of anger she could have for anything else, even when dealing with Chloe or Lila. "I must ask though… why didn't you tell me you had a brother?" she inquired, trying not to sound hurt by this hidden information.

Marinette could hear the slight pain in her question, and felt bad for not telling her sooner. "I'm sorry Tikki, it just never came up in any sort of conversation."

"It's okay, I understand. So, does this mean that even Alya doesn't know?"

"That's right. Don't worry though, I'll tell her tomorrow."

"Are you sure you won't forget?" Tikki teased.

"Ha ha, very funny. No, I won't forget. I'll tell her tomorrow," she said with a yawn.

"Are you sure you're okay with spending time with Anthony so late? You seem tired already, and knowing you and from what I've witnessed from Anthony, you'll try to stay up all night. It is a school night, and you'll be tired during your classes!" she fretted.

"Don't worry, I'll set a limit to how late we stay up. I'll come back here to sleep, I promise."

"Good. Just make sure to take your phone to set an alarm. I'll stay in here tonight. Good night, Marinette."

"Good night, Tikki." She grabbed her sketchbook and phone before going back to Anthony's room. They continued to talk about his travels and what they would do during her two weeks of break before he had to head back. They didn't realize it was so late until they both began to feel their eyelids getting heavy. They both subconsciously laid together on his massive bed and continued talking until they weren't aware they fell asleep.

Marinette woke up to the rapid knocks on the door, and she grumbled as she climbed out of her bed, but was confused as she couldn't find her ladder. Opening her eyes more, she realized that she apparently stayed in Anthony's room overnight. Groaning, she opened the door to find a startled but not surprised mother in the doorway, who slowly displayed a knowing and loving smile. "Good morning, sweetie. How late did you two stay up last night?"

"I'm no-ot quite su-sure," Marinette stuttered while yawning. "Sorry maman, neither of us really wanted to sleep right away, so we wanted to talk."

"Will you two keep it down, please? I'm trying to sleep here," Anthony mumbled as he turned towards his wall.

"Huh, guess he's still not a morning person," Sabine mumbled, resulting in a pillow being thrown her way. Unfortunately, in his sleep-deprived state, he ended up hitting Marinette instead, emitting a squeak from her.

"Hey! You hit me instead!"

"Oops, don't care," he yawned and went back to sleep.

"Well, hopefully that pillow woke you up a bit, sweetie," Sabine whispered as she shut his door behind them. "You need to get ready for school now, or you'll be late."

"Late? What time is-" she cut herself off quickly as she turned to the clock above the television. She released a squeak when she noticed that she only had fifteen minutes to get ready and be at school. She dashed upstairs and quickly changed into a pair of jean capris and a floral shirt with her usual blazer, brushed her teeth, and quickly fixed her pig tails before grabbing her flats and backpack before running out the door. Marinette grumbled as she realized that she didn't even grab breakfast but was thankful that the lights seemed to be all green for her today. If she was lucky, she might just make it to class before the final bell.

Marinette was running through the empty halls, counting the doors as she went until she reached her classroom. She crashed through the door and plummeted into her seat just as the bell rang. She sighed a breath of relief, that sounded strangely like a groan, and seemed to melt into her table. She was only brought back to reality when she heard a light giggle from beside her. Glancing to her left, she tried her best to give her best friend a cold scowl, but knew she failed when Alya's smirk grew wider. "So, what made my awesome fashion designer-friend late to school today? Overslept?"

"I guess you could say that," Marinette mumbled before reaching to her bag and getting out her materials. Before Alya could question her cryptic response, Madame Bustier called the class to order and began the lesson. Due to it being almost a week before her fall exams, they had a lot of topics to cover. By the time classes were over for lunch, the group was hardly able to keep their heads upright.

"I don't know about you dudes, but I'm exhausted and can use a drink," Nino sighed.

"Dude, it's only noon. We can't drink while the day is half-finished," Adrien laughed. If Marinette wasn't so tired herself, she would've fainted at his low, heavenly laugh. She couldn't help it, she was over him, but it's just those 'first love' instincts wanting to kick in. She shook those thoughts out of her head. _Why am I thinking these thoughts again? I confessed and got over him, it's not going to happen. Not that I don't want it to, but I'm not going to wait around for him anymore,_ she concluded as she remained towards the back of the group with Alya just ahead of her.

"Okay girl, what's up?" Alya asked. The boys slowed to a stop in front of the girls, waiting for them to catch up and listening to what Marinette had to say.

Marinette blushed as all their attention turned to her once more. "Oh, nothing. I'm just tired, is all."

"Oh yeah! You didn't tell us why you were so tired this morning. And almost late, if I may add," Alya teased.

"I _couldn't_ tell you why, class started, and we endured torture until now," she retorted.

"You're evading the question, mademoiselle."

"I was just up late designing and talking."

"With whom were you talking?"

"You're extremely nosy today, what happened? Something with the super duo?" Marinette teased, not evading the latest question but genuinely curious as to what was up with her friend.

"Oh, no, nothing happened with my babies," Alya sighed wistfully, albeit sadly. "I wish they would confess already; it's been three years since their debut! They should be together by now, maybe even with kids," she proclaimed off-handedly, oblivious to the blush that adorned Marinette's and Adrien's faces.

"A-Alya! You don't just say stuff like that so casually!" Marinette stuttered, face still aflame.

Nino was laughing beside his girlfriend, finally able to catch his breath as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "She's right, babe. You need to be more subtle. Besides, these babies over here are still so innocent themselves," he smirked as he looked at them from the side. He almost couldn't contain his low chuckles as their faces surprisingly became darker.

"Oh, yeah, you're right babe," Alya giggled. "These cinnamon rolls wouldn't understand adult talk. Adrien, maybe, due to his modeling career. But Marinette? No way," she teased.

"I'll have you know that I take offense to that!" said girl protested with a stomp, only making herself seem like a little kid throwing a tantrum, which made Adrien think she was still cute.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, have you had a boyfriend?"

"Well, no."

"A date? That doesn't include Evillustrator's abduction," she interrupted before Marinette could answer.

"No."

"Have you even had your first kiss?" she asked rhetorically, believing she knew the answer. She turned back towards Marinette in question when she didn't respond, surprised to see a slight blush on her cheekbones despite her look of indifference. "Oh my god, girl, you didn't?!"

"Didn't what?" Nino asked, he was completely lost, having only paid half attention while talking with Adrien. Adrien was only half listening to Nino as he eavesdropped into Alya's conversation, and he couldn't tell if he was glad he did.

"Why didn't you tell me?! I thought we were besties!"

"We are, don't worry about that! It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it was just so long ago, and there were no romantic feelings involved-"

"You gave your first kiss to someone who didn't even love you?!" Alya all but screamed. Marinette quickly tried shushing her friend, face slightly pinker. "Why-"

"It wasn't him that initiated the kiss. Besides, the feelings were mutual."

"Girl… I don't know whether I should feel angry, upset, or proud," Alya mumbled, eliciting a laugh from Marinette and a low chuckle from Nino.

"How about all three, babe," he suggested while kissing her temple. "Feel angry for her losing her first kiss to a blind idiot, feel upset that she didn't tell you, and feel extremely proud that our mini muffin initiated her first kiss." He laughed when Marinette stuck her tongue out at him before he continued, "that just means that our little cinnamon roll over there needs to have his first kiss."

"I can hear you!" Adrien cried indignantly, causing his other friends to laugh. He shook his head in exasperation before looking Marinette's direction. _She already had her first kiss? Why wouldn't she tell anyone, especially Alya? Who would've stolen her first kiss, and not have felt anything about it?_ His train of thought was cut short when said girl looked to him, a look of sympathy on her face, most likely because he hasn't had his first kiss. He smiled reassuringly back, telepathically telling her that all was good. The topic was changed once again as they made their way down the main stairs in front of the school. Halfway down, the crew heard a loud engine, and upon observation, they saw it came from a motorcycle parked in front of their school. There was already a small group of girls surrounding it, and a few boys checking out the vehicle. Before anyone in the group could speak, Marinette released a squeal with a quick 'later guys' and dashed through them down the stairs, right up to the person on the motorcycle. The other three were confused, to say the least. They grew even more so when the driver gave her a second helmet and she hopped on, waving to them as they sped off.

After a moment of silence, Alya was the only one brave enough to break the awkwardness. "Well, I don't know what that's about, but we can ask when we come back from lunch."

"Yeah," the boys replied simultaneously. Adrien was brought back from his senses when his driver drove to the sidewalk, signaling his departure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello beautiful people! I'm sorry, I didn't realize until this morning that it has been a whole month! This last week has been so stressful on me, with college and work, but I think I finally made a breakthrough. I hope to keep updating semi-regularly, and maybe even post a couple other stories! I have a one-shot in mind, and it's cute, so I might do that. But I have several others with multiple chapters thus far, so I might post one of them. And, as promised, this chapter is much longer than the previous two. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3

When the crew came back to school, they noticed that Marinette was already there, with the mysterious person who picked her up. He wasn't wearing a helmet this time, which allowed them to see his dark brown, almost black, hair and rich green eyes. He wore dark, straight cut jeans with a leather jacket, and a purple pollo underneath. Him and Marinette were talking with each other in hushed tones, even sometimes pushing the other. As the three approached them, Marinette blushed a furious pink and shoved him further down the sidewalk, surprising the three with her sudden strength, but not the newcomer. He was able to catch himself before he fell, laughing the whole time. He came back over and poked Marinette's pouting face before laughing harder. The first bell rang in the school before the three were able to reach her, and they both seemed to remember where they were. The group was still several meters away when they openly gasped at what the young man did next. _He leaned over and kissed Marinette on her forehead_. They were still trying to pick up their jaws from the floor when she brushed him off casually and ran up the stairs with a wave, while he placed his helmet on his head and rode off.

The three stood there speechless as they tried to decipher what just happened. Once again, Alya was the one who broke the silence. "That girl has a lot of explaining to do, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind," she stated as she stormed up the stairs.

Nino's response was slightly delayed, but he quickly shouted, "don't kill her Alya! She's just a baby!"

"No promises!" she jokingly retorted.

Adrien still stood there speechless. _Was sweet, shy Marinette really dating someone? Someone who's old enough to either be in or graduated from university? Was he the one who took her first kiss?_ He asked himself as he looked in the direction the guy rode his bike to. _He didn't look like he didn't have any interest in her, in fact, he looked quite fond of her_. He felt a quick pinch from inside his jacket, knowing that it was Plagg who pinched him, probably to get him to focus. On what? He had no idea.

"Dude, are you alright?" Nino effectively broke him from his thoughts. "You're looking a little pale."

Adrien wanted to reassure his friend, but he could feel his own cold sweat on his forehead and on his neck. He lightly shook his head in an attempt to recompose himself, with little effectiveness. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just surprised is all."

"Me too, who knew that she had a boyfriend?" His offhanded statement made Adrien jolt subconsciously. "I thought she would've told Alya… oh well, it's her life, we have no right to question her."

"But we're her friends, if there's anything-"

"If there's anything troubling her, we will be there to support her, nothing more, nothing less. Anyways, bud, we should get to class before Mendeleev gets mad at us for being late."

"You're right," Adrien responded glumly. He wanted so badly to confront her himself, but knew that he had no right to, even if he was her friend. He was the least qualified of her friends to do so. He sighed as he followed his wiser-than-he-looks friend to their next lesson. When they got there, they saw a fuming Alya alone in her seat, hunched over her desk like a fox protecting her food.

"Uhm, babe? Whatcha doing?"

"Waiting," was her curt reply. Due to the venom in her voice, Adrien assumed she wasn't able to find Marinette. He silently prayed that Alya wouldn't eat her alive when she showed up, but with the ravenous look in her eyes, he wasn't so sure. Looking at the clock, Adrien could see that Marinette had another few minutes until class began. _Where could she be? She came in before us…_ He was cut off from his thoughts when the girl in question strolled into the doorway, holding a sheet of paper. She wasn't paying attention to any of them as she took her seat, unaware of the stares she was receiving, especially the daggers being thrown her way from Alya.

"Hey guys," she said casually. Adrien looked to Alya as he replied with a 'hi' of his own, before he gulped. Alya's furious glare turned into a pleased look of indifference. He knew for certain that when she goes through such a mood swing, it wasn't good for her target. Unfortunately, it was Marinette this time. He cleared his throat to get Marinette's attention, which strangely worked, and he silently wished her luck. She gave him a curious tilt of her brow but was interrupted by Alya before she could ask what Adrien meant.

"Guys, huh? Anything you'd like to tell us about guys?" Alya asked, not-so-subtly.

Marinette's confused face only twisted more in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, is that we saw you leaving and coming back with a strange man. Who was it?" Alya chastised lightly, with a slight disapproving frown.

"In fact, we all saw you making googly-eyes with that hottie, Dupain-Cheng. Who is he, and why would he be spending time with a kid like you when he could be spending time with a woman like me?" a snobbish voice asked to their side. Turning, the group scowled as the one-and-only Lila Rossi interrupted their conversation, giving her honest opinion about the pair. "He's obviously out of your league, why even try to get with him?" she scoffed.

"What, about Anthony?" Marinette asked genuinely confused, before her face hardened. "First of all, you have no idea what he's like, and he would _never_ be with someone like you. Second, how dare you assume who and what he would like to do? He's not your slave, and I would prefer you to leave him alone," she ended with a snarl which surprised her three friends, along with their other classmates.

"Or what? What could you possibly do?" Lila challenged as she got in Marinette's face with a smirk.

"Ladies! I do not appreciate you going at each other during class, wait for after school. Go back to your desks and retrieve your supplies for class."

"Yes, madame," came their mumbled replies. Marinette begrudgingly did as she was told and seemed to place her books and pencils on her desk a little more forceful than necessary.

"Are you okay, Mari?" Alya asked.

"Fine."

"Who is Anthony?"

"Later," was her curt reply. Alya couldn't ask any more questions for the time being due to Mendeleev's hawk eyes on the class. She could only grumble herself as she had to wait another hour before she could ask. She already waited two hours, why did she have to wait any longer? _Oh well,_ she thought. _I can always track her down and ask her after school, that way we would have more time anyways_.

Unfortunately, life wasn't fair. There was another akuma attack right as school was finishing for the day. Alya growled half-heartedly as the sirens went off. She loved hearing that siren, signaling her to begin her chase after the hero duo, but today was not her day when she had something important planned. Grabbing a startled Marinette, she dragged her out of the classroom, choosing to leave her normal partner, Nino, to find her in a bit. "A-Alya? What are you doing?!"

"Taking you with me. We have a lot to talk about, mademoiselle," she retorted. Perhaps her statement was a little harsher than she intended, because when she turned back, she saw a slightly scared and bewildered Marinette trailing behind her. She offered little resistance to Alya, which she found strange, but maybe her tone finalized her resolve enough to inform Marinette that she was serious.

They made their way outside into the chaos that the akuma was creating. People were running around, screaming, as that was expected. However, Marinette thought it was pretty quiet for how chaotic the outside was. Glancing around, she noticed random glass statues scattered around the school yard. She recognized a few of the faces of her schoolmates and teachers, while others were strangers. Their faces, she figured, were too serene to be captured in the akumas spell. What else was different – everyone seemed to be turned to glass. "What's going on here?" Alya's voice spoke her own question.

But before she could say anything, movement caught the corner of her eye. "Look out!" Marinette cried as she pushed herself and Alya forward, narrowly avoiding the akuma's blast. Glancing skyward, she noticed the akuma was standing atop a building across from their school. He looked like a normal sculptor, with working pants and messy shirt, an apron with pockets, and a beret placed lopsided on his head. The only difference was the color of his beret. Instead of being a brown or black, it was a bright green color. It clashed horribly with his orange hair, but she wasn't one to judge an akuma. _That must be where his akuma is_, she thought as she continued to stare him down. She couldn't see anything else out of place, but she would need a better look to be able to tell. She subconsciously stood in a fighting stance as she inched closer to Alya to move her out of harm's way.

His shouts broke her out of her train of thought. "I am Sculpteur de Verre, creator of the finest glass sculptures in all of France! I will destroy anyone who destroys my masterpieces, including Ladybug and Chat Noir! Come and face me, my dear foes!" he proclaimed in a cackle. He glanced down and noticed more people running from him, which made his grin spread wider. He turned when he saw movement to his right, and noticed two girls running his way, the second girl shouting, 'Alya' to the first girl. "Foolish children, would you like a demonstration of my art?!" he questioned before jumping to the ground, mere meters from them, sending a blast towards them.

Marinette had no time to react, and could only cry out Alya's name once more as the blast came closer and closer to her startled friend… only to have her be pushed aside by someone and taking the blast for themselves. With startled horror, Marinette realized too late that it was Nino, who sacrificed himself to save his girlfriend. Both girls screamed his name as he gave them a content smile where he stood and transformed into a glass statue.

"HAHAHAHA! What beauty! A young soul sacrificing himself for the person he loves, how tragically beautiful, and worthy of being a statue, wouldn't you agree ladies?" he teased.

Alya was too busy mourning over her boyfriend's sacrifice to say anything, only to release a few whimpers as she touched his now smooth, glass face, which was rapidly losing its warmth. Perhaps Alya wasn't able to speak her mind, but Marinette sure as hell was. "How dare you," she spoke in a low and dangerous tone. "How DARE you mock a sacrifice for someone! He nobly gave himself to protect someone he cared for, and what of you? Who the hell do you think you are to decide someone's fate?!" she all but yelled.

"Who am I?" he repeated in a dangerous tone nearly as venomous as hers. "I told you, woman, I am Sculpteur de Verre-"

"That is the akuma, who are _you_?" she dared to interrupt. Alya could only gasp and stare at her best friend, still glued to her boyfriend.

He growled at her audacity, mentally giving her points for her bravery, or foolishness. "I am no longer that weak sculptor, if that is what you mean. He was far too emotional for his wellbeing. He poured himself over his work, constantly skipping over meals when creation struck, crying over the smallest inconveniences. I finally broke through when someone shattered his greatest creation. They claimed it was an accident, but no matter. They paid for what they did."

"What did you do?" she asked in a low tone, voice growing deeper than she intended.

"Isn't it obvious?" he chuckled. "This here, is my new greatest creation. I transformed them and their friends who laughed into glass statues. I didn't simply transform anyone and everyone, I'm not that uncivilized. I transformed only those beautiful enough to be worthy of my creation." Marinette didn't get a second to react before he was right in her face. She controlled herself and steeled her expression, just so she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of him thinking he had the upper hand, despite her being absolutely terrified. "In fact," he murmured as he reached his hand upwards to lift her face and slightly turning it to get a better look at her. She feared for a moment that he might have pieced together her and her miraculous, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw no recognition in his eyes. Instead she gulped at his next statement. "You are far worthier to be one of my creations than any of these fools. So, what do you say? Would you care to be my new muse?" She could tell he tried to be flirtatious, but his 'seductive' voice only sent chills of horror and disgust along her spine.

She tried pushing him away from her and back away, ready to grab Alya and make a run for it. Only, she didn't succeed in doing that. She was able to push him away, but he quickly recovered and grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him once more, right into his chest. She glanced up and paled when she saw the satisfied smirk placed on his face. "Tut, tut, tut, how naughty of you, my muse. You mustn't be so reckless; someone could get hurt."

He tightened his hold on her with his left arm as he reached into a front pocket with his right and pulled out an old metal carving knife. Marinette noticed belatedly that she was in no position to do much besides watch as he pointed his knife to Alya and cast his spell. She cried out her name again as she was blasted on her leg. She couldn't help but notice that the spell took hold much slower on a body part further from the heart, which she stocked away for later, because right now she was helpless and couldn't do anything for her best friend.

She watched in horror as Alya was slowly consumed by the glass spell. Alya was slowly stiffening, but with her last moments of mobility, she reached upward and placed a gentle kiss upon Nino's lips and clung onto him tighter than before, smiling as the spell took over her form. "Alya!" Marinette cried once more as she saw the gleam of the sun reflecting off her finalized glass form.

Marinette slackened in the akuma's arm, now releasing tears of fear and frustration over her situation. Akumas were always stronger than normal humans, and despite being Ladybug, she was in her civilian identity. She had no extra strength in her, so she couldn't break free and get away without some form of distraction. "Gave up already? I thought you had a little more fight in you. No matter, it will make this creation easier for me," he stated with a sick sneer as he forcefully turned her around to face him, chests flushed. "Now, my muse, should we get started?" At that rhetorical question, he raised his scalpel right to her left jaw, while she was thanking whatever luck was left in her that he still hasn't noticed her miraculous.

She continued to stare him down, giving him her most venomous glare, until luck finally graced her. In an instant, she felt the akuma's arm being forcefully ripped from around her and replaced by a new pair of strong arms, instantly jumping to higher ground. "Well well, seems like you're my first damsel in distress, purrrincess."

Marinette quickly glanced up into startling green eyes, who held mirth inside of them at their situation. "Chat," she breathed, grateful that he came when he did. Their moment didn't last long as she glanced back down at her trapped friends.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, princess."

"It's- it's okay Chat. You and Ladybug will save them. I know it."

"It's a promise, princess, you can count on us." He gently forced her to look at him and gave her his best comforting smile. She smiled back in thanks, before their moment was once again disturbed by the akuma.

He was laughing loudly, and hard. "Look at this! A cat has stolen my muse! I'm afraid you're going to have to find another young lady, Chat Noir. Perhaps Ladybug? Then I can take both of your Miraculous'!"

Chat growled at the akuma, tightening his hold on Marinette, who subconsciously tightened her arms as well. "First of all, she is not an object, she is a human being! She doesn't belong to anyone! Second," he awkwardly shuffled his arms, only so much that Marinette could tell and not the akuma. "I've known her longer," he mumbled. Marinette gaped at him and could only whack his shoulder at his antics. She could also tell that he tried very hard to not smile at her reaction. Huffing, Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him.

"Enough talk! Return my muse or perish, Chat Noir!" the akuma exclaimed before he casted his spell towards them. Marinette tried, and failed, to hold back a squeal as Chat pulled her closer to his chest and jumped once more. This time, he travelled a few blocks away from the school, ensuring that he lost the akuma before setting her down in a deserted alley.

"Are you okay, princess?" he asked gently as he set her down, hesitantly backing away to give her space. Marinette would've appreciated that in any other circumstance, but right now she needed comfort. Sure, she's seen her friends and family turned by an akuma, but for some reason todays akuma really got to her. "Chat –" she began before she felt her lip quiver. Chat was back to her in an instant, quickly embracing her in a comforting hug, which she reciprocated without hesitation. He must've known that they were her friends, and that seeing such a sight was frightening. She appreciated his efforts to try to cheer her up. However, a dull blast from the distance brought her back to the present. She gently pushed him away from her with a shaky smile. "Thank you, Chat, but right now isn't the time for tears. You have a city and people to save."

"Princess, I have to –"

"Ensure that the akuma is taken care of, above all else, kitty," she stated with a stern look, almost Ladybug-like. "His name is Sculpteur de Verre, and from what you observed, he turned people into… glass," she had to pause as she remembered what happened with Nino and Alya. "Apparently someone destroyed a glass statue of his, and his over-emotional-self turned into the akuma."

"Did he say all of this to you?"

"Yes, monologuing just like every other akuma," she giggled lightly despite the circumstances. Chat soon followed along with her giggling.

"Sounds just about right, purrrincess."

"But you should really go, Chat Noir. You must find Ladybug and defeat the akuma, for everyone's sakes."

"As you command, princess," he stated with a deep bow, gently kissing her knuckles, never breaking eye contact until his baton was ready to extend. With a brief salute and wink, and an eyeroll on Marinette's part, he catapulted his way towards the akuma once more.

"Marinette," a soft voice peeped from her purse, causing the girl in question to glance down. "Will you be okay? I know seeing something like this happen is difficult for you-"

"I'll be fine Tikki, just a little shaken up. It'll be okay once the akuma is cleansed. Now, no time for nonsense and tears! Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug was back on the scene in an instant, quickly surveying the area. Chat Noir was in one-on-one combat with the akuma, allowing her to observe his fighting style and get a closer look at his akumatized object. She thought it was the cap, but her gut kept screaming that it was something else. His beret was just too vulnerable to be the object. A disturbance in the fight caused her to tune into the present once more, when Chat's baton was tossed to the side.

Quickly taking action, she threw her yoyo, which wrapped around his torso before she pulled him up to her. She released her yoyo while he was in mid-air, which allowed him to flip around to land, resulting in him performing a flip in the air. "Always nice to see you, my lady," he stated with a wink. She rolled her eyes at his antics and placed her yoyo back on her hip.

"So, tell me why he was able to toss your baton away so easily, chaton?" she teased as she placed her hands on her hips.

He had the audacity to scrap a steeled-toe along the roof and scratch the back of his head sheepishly. _Typical troublesome Chat behavior_, she scoffed, still admiring the dork that was her partner. "If you haven't noticed, Bugaboo, he is quite the fighter. But he was actually trying to distract me by talking about my friend, who was trapped by him just moments ago."

"So he tried, and succeeded, in distracting you?" she raised a poised brow.

"I guess you could say that," he mumbled, hoping that she couldn't hear him. Which she did.

"What am I going to do with you, chaton?" she sighed good naturedly.

"Love me, scratch me, pun with me."

"No way am I punning with you, Chat. Now, back to business. What's the situation?"

"It seems like he had a glass sculpture exhibit in a historical building, and someone broke it in-transit. He apparently was emotionally unstable before, so this just tipped him off to an akuma."

Ladybug could only hum in acknowledgment. _So he did listen to Marinette about the akuma? I didn't think he would listen to what a civilian would say, seeing how normally they don't know what they're talking about._ She shouldn't have been surprised that he listened to her alternate personality, though. Over the last few years, Chat has been coming to her balcony much more often. It started slowly after L'illustrateur, and became more frequent after the night where he told Marinette about his crush on Ladybug. Sometimes they would watch movies or play video games, while other times they just talked. He would sometimes just watch her design or sew clothes. More than half of those times he would scare her soul out of her body by just appearing out of thin air on her chaise. Each time she would fall out of her chair with a screech and he would laugh at her antics.

"Sounds like the usual, then," she continued before she continued to think about all the times she's spent with Chat Noir in her other persona. She zoned into the present time just as the akuma shot a blast her way, which she easily dodged. "Have any idea where his akuma might be?"

"I believe it might be in his hat."

"I think so too, but I have a sinking feeling that that's too easy…"

"You think? I tried grabbing at his beret multiple times, and he's very protective of it."

"No harm in seeing if the hunch is correct, come on, kitty!" she exclaimed as they both jumped off the building and towards the unsuspecting victim.

He seemed to be taken by surprise for a moment, before he snarled and jumped out of the way, rolling towards one of his statues. "You wouldn't try to hit me with these civilians around, would you?" he tried asking innocently, failing to fool both superheroes.

"That's a cowardly way to fight, Sculpteur de Verre!" Chat Noir accused. "Fight like the warrior Hawkmoth claims you to be!"

"That's enough chatter!" Ladybug tried not to show emotion when she heard Chat Noir stifle a chuckle. "I am an artist, not a warrior! Just give me your miraculous' so Hawkmoth can achieve his own masterpiece!"

"Not on your life, Sculpteur de Verre!" With this proclamation, the three began fighting once more. The fighting continued for several minutes, one-on-one and two-on-one combat with little to no breaks. Only when the akuma shot a blast towards Chat, which he easily deflected with his baton, did he throw a punch at Ladybug's face. She was barely able to dodge and flip backwards with a growl that matched the akuma's.

"Wow, that's Verre-y ungentlemanly of you," Chat purred with a hint of warning. "Now come at me!" The akuma took this chance to lunge at Chat Noir, who seemed to step up his fencing game with the akuma, poking light jabs at him. Ladybug figured this was the best opportunity to conjure her lucky charm. While it was still in midair, Ladybug noticed that it was a window pane. Confused, she was about catch it when she saw the akuma aiming his scalpel her direction. She quickly flipped backwards to avoid his blast, dropping the glass panel. As the panel fell to the ground, it deflected his ray back towards him and knocked off his beret. Turning to glass, Chat Noir grabbed the beret and was about to toss it to Ladybug, when the akuma swung a kick to his side, knocking Chat a few meters to the left.

"Chat Noir!"

"You shouldn't let your cat distract you, Ladybug," the akuma snarled before shooting another ray at her. She quickly jumped away from the main blast, but unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to dodge the last of it. Her foot was caught by the blast, and she barely felt the tickle of it as she flipped over to her partner.

"Chat Noir, are you okay?" she asked him with concern, already feeling her foot stiffening slowly. She helped him on his own feet while trying not to put too much weight on her foot.

"I'm feline fine, my lady. Just might be a little sore until your cure comes around," he winked, before he noticed her standing on one foot awkwardly, hiding the other foot. "What happened to your foot, Ladybug?"

"Nothing that the cure can't handle," she waved off, just as she saw his eyes start to turn frantic. "Now, I believe you have a beret for me?" she asked light-heartedly, seeing him relax a bit at her joviality. He quickly gave her the beret and she threw it to the ground, watching it shatter while awaiting the akuma. Except, it never came. "What?"

"You fools believed the akuma was in my beret?" the akuma rhetorically asked as he sauntered over with a twisted smirk. "Oh, you poor children. So naïve, you really think I would put such a valuable possession in plain sight like that? That was only a trinket the fool's mother gave him as a child. Sure, he wore it every day, but that is not my most valuable possession!"

"Why do you think he talks in third purrrson?" Chat tried to joke, only slightly being ruined by the moment and his solemnity. Ladybug would've laughed if it wasn't for the same reasons.

"I'm not sure. Do you think his unstableness was also due to a split personality or something?"

"Purrrhaps, we should find him a counselor when we save him."

"Agreed. Now I'm positive which one is his akumatized object," she stated confidently as she pointed to the scalpel he held in his hands.

"Confirmed, my lady, I agree," he stated as he got in a fighting pose once more, this time slightly getting in her way for her protection.

"When do you not agree with me, chaton?" she teased.

"Never, my lady," he said with a charming smirk. She probably would've swooned if she wasn't used to him and his looks. Rolling her eyes with a scoff, she too got into a fighting stance, careful of her foot. Just as tension was getting tight, like a coil waiting to be released, Ladybug heard something she never wanted to hear.

"Marinette? Marinette, where are you?!" She frantically turned around, hoping against hope that she heard wrong. Unfortunately, her luck wasn't present at the moment, because there in all his concerned glory was Anthony. Camera in hand, he was running through alleys and around statues looking for someone she knew he wouldn't find. She wanted to facepalm as he would randomly stop and take pictures of the statues. She didn't notice Chat's ears perk up as he heard his friend's name being called. Chat half turned towards the new voice just as Ladybug turned back to the akuma, noticing that he was planning to shoot Anthony with his power.

"No!" she shouted with conviction. She was in front of Anthony in a split second, deflecting the blast and half turning to Anthony. "What do you think you're doing here?! Don't you know this is dangerous?!" she scolded him. She probably would've taken his shrunken form funny after being scolded, especially because she was the one doing the scolding, but then she remembered why she was scolding him. Her face hardened once more, yoyo twirling with more ferocity as she waited for his response.

"I'm sorry, miss Ladybug. I'm new around here and was curious about what an akuma was," he began. She mentally did facepalm this time as she remembered that he just came back into town and she forgot to tell him about them. "But just as I was going past the school, I noticed some of her classmates frozen as glass. I couldn't find my little sister anywhere. Please Ladybug, please help me find her!" he cried in desperation.

She smiled as she felt her face heat up in admiration for her older brother. "She's okay, you have nothing to worry about. I saw Chat Noir take her somewhere safe earlier." Ladybug visually saw her brother relax at her words, seemingly shrinking a few inches from released stress.

"Thank you, Ladybug. You don't know how much she means to me," he breathed.

"I think I have an idea," she winked as he looked her way questioningly. Ladybug turned back towards her partner as he was still fighting the akuma. "Chat, I need to get this civilian out of harm's way, can you handle this by yourself for a moment?"

"Sure thing, my lady, just hurry!"

"Gotcha! Come, let's leave," she gently ordered Anthony. He could only nod at her as he allowed her to put her arm around his waist. She wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation: he is normally the one to protect her, but now she is protecting him, and all of Paris for that matter. "Hold on tight!" With that, she swung her yoyo and flung off with Anthony hanging tight onto her for safety.

"Not so fast!" the akuma shouted as he aimed towards them again.

"No!" Chat tried redirecting or deflecting the blast away from Ladybug, but just missed it as it went over his head and hit his lady on her yoyo flinging arm. He heard her cry out as she tried grabbing onto it tighter to no avail. Chat panicked a little as he tried to decide what to do, to save his lady and the civilian or keep the akuma at bay. He didn't get much time to ponder the options as he saw the two work together as a cohesive team as she moved him onto her back piggy-back style and switched her yoyo from her right to her left hand. She might've been a little shaky swinging with her left hand, especially without the help of her right hand, but at least she practiced over the years and was able to dodge any more blasts and make it behind buildings.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her disappear, then turned back to the akuma with an icy glare. "Now, I hope you have an explanation for why you hit my lady while her back was turned, coward," he glowered as he slowly approached the now slightly scared akuma.

Across several blocks and behind buildings, Ladybug was able to land in an alley out of view and gently place Anthony off her back. "There, safe and sound."

"Yeah, safe. Are you sure Marinette is safe?" he asked looking her directly into her eyes. She knew that the mask and the magic created a sort of barrier to help hide her identity, but she knew her brother wasn't stupid. _He can't suspect me already, he's only seen Ladybug once! Not even our parents could tell I was Ladybug!_ she internally panicked.

"I'm positive, I trust my partner, just as you should trust your sister." _Way to go, Marinette! He shouldn't suspect you now! Tikki should be proud,_ she mentally patted herself on the back, only to gulp as Anthony gave her his inquisitive glare, one that he normally uses when he feels like he has a scoop. A lot like Alya does when she feels like Marinette is hiding something. Quickly laughing that feeling off, waved her hand dismissively. "You're not going to get anything else out of me. I swear, you're just like Alya."

"Alya? How do you know Alya?" he asked without missing a beat.

_Crap,_ she thought. _He knows that Alya is my best friend, how would I as Ladybug know her?!_ She could always hear Tikki smacking her tiny forehead and sighing in exasperation at her obliviousness. _Oh yeah!_ "Alya Cesaire? She runs the Ladyblog, the number one source of everything Ladybug and Chat Noir related, along with akumas and live akuma attacks, at least most of the time," she stated as she tried not to show her emotions over the turn of events for her friends. She had to be professional; she was a hero, not Marinette.

"Ahuh, I never heard of the Ladyblog," he accused skeptically.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, nor that I'm making it up," she shrugged. "But if you don't believe me, I would suggest looking it up. She has been following Chat Noir and I on almost every akuma attack since the beginning all those years ago. And speaking of Chat Noir, I better leave and help the poor stray," she giggled. "So long, Anthony, stay safe!" she lightly ordered as she swung away shakily with her good arm. She didn't notice the suspicious and thoughtful look on his face before he began following her once more.

Ladybug arrived at the scene just minutes after she left, quickly assessing the situation her partner was in. A beep in her ear alerted her that she only had two spots left, so she had to finish this akuma quickly unless she wanted to leave her partner once again for a longer amount of time, which was out of the question. She could see the small beads of sweat on the sides of his face from how much energy he was putting in fending off the akuma. Her Ladybug vision suddenly kicked in and showed her the lamppost to her right, a piece of the shattered glass, the akuma, and his akumatized object. With a slight smirk, she set her plan in action.

As she swung on the lamppost, she stole a glance to her partner, who thankfully was the only one who noticed her presence. With a quick nod from both partners, he kept the akuma distracted as she snuck behind him and grabbed the shattered glass. "Hey, Sculpteur de Verre!" she called his attention. Whipping around, the akuma glared at her before it was turned to a shout of anguish as she used the glass to reflect the light into his eyes. Now currently blinded, Chat Noir was able to take his scalpel away from him and throw it to Ladybug. She quickly and effortlessly broke the scalpel on the ground with her good foot, careful not to lose her balance while on her glass foot that was quickly moving up her leg. With the akuma freed from the object, she was able to catch it, cleanse it, and release it back into the air. When she threw her lucky charm in the air with the cry of, "Miraculous Ladybug!" she relished in the lighter feeling of her arm and leg returning to normal.

Noticing a shift in the shade, Ladybug turned with a smile to her partner, who was holding out his fist with a triumphant grin on his face. She returned his fist bump with a combined, "Pound it!" before turning back to the akuma, who was now glancing around his person in bewilderment. Chat Noir picked up his beret while Ladybug picked up his scalpel. "I believe these are yours?" she asked the artist.

He seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties, so he was probably still a new artist, yet relatively well-known as he confirmed that he had his own exhibit in a museum. His disorientated eyes instantly focused on the two heroes, and quickly turned solemn as he looked down, understanding what happened. "I'm sorry," was all he said as he slumped down, not accepting his two objects from the heroes. They glanced to each other in worry before Chat Noir leaned to his level.

"Hey, you don't need to be sorry, none of this is your fault. Hawkmoth took advantage of your emotions and manipulated you, we were just doing our job. We are just happy that you are alright."

"Chat Noir is right. What is your name, by the way?"

"It's Claude, Claude le Farre."

"Well, Monsieur le Farre, I bet you would be happy to know that your statue is now fixed and in perfect condition in your museum," Ladybug happily chirped. When Alix's watch broke a few years ago, Ladybug was able to fix it. Now she was confident that she would be able to fix this man's sculpture as well. He had a look of surprise and disbelief on his face, but his eyes sparkled with hope. "If you don't believe me, I would suggest going to your museum and seeing yourself."

"Th-thank you, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" he cried in happiness and dashed away to his museum. Both heroes chuckled at his antics, but were interrupted as her miraculous beeped again, signaling only a minute left on her timer. She panicked a little and took out her yoyo before Chat stopped her. "Don't worry, I'll follow him and suggest the counseling!" he chirped and vaulted off. With a small smile, Ladybug was just able to swing off into an alley close to the school and detransform in midair, only drooping a meter to the ground. Although the distance wasn't that far, Marinette had the misfortune of landing on her foot that was turned to glass. With a slightly suppressed cry, she quickly moved the weight to her good foot and held her sore foot higher in the air. With tears forming in her eyes, she attempted to slow her breathing and calm herself down, freaking out over a little injury that will disappear after a couple hours would be pointless.

"-ette? Marinette?" she tuned in to Tikki's concerned voice. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'll be just f-f-fine, Tikki. I just need some ice and some rest. I'll be fine."

"If you say so, Marinette. Just please be careful," she warned with concern just before going back into Marinette's purse.

Taking a few more deep breaths, she straightened up and limped over to the front of the school. There, she saw Nino and Alya hugging each other close and sitting on the steps. "Alya, Nino!" she exclaimed in relief, glad to see her friends back to normal. In her excitement, she temporarily forgot about her own injury and fell in front of them.

"Girl! Are you alright?" Alya asked worriedly as she stiffly walked her way to help her up, Nino doing the same.

"I'll be fine, just got hit a couple times by the akuma, but nothing too damaging."

"Were you turned?" both asked in unison, Marinette couldn't help but giggle at their combined awkwardness. Just as she was about to answer, however, there was a shadow casted over her being.

"I don't see what's so funny about you being turned, or even targeted by an akuma, Marinette," the new voice scolded her. She quickly turned around and noticed Adrien towering over her, with a mixture of concern and anger on his face. "You're lucky that all this akuma did was turn others to glass, but you could have gotten seriously hurt."

"It's nothing I couldn't handle, Adrien," she informed him, perhaps with a little more force than necessary. "I can defend myself, you know."

"I know you can, in any other situation perhaps. But against an akuma? Marinette, you can't do anything against them. You need to stay as far away from them as possible. Do you understand?"

Marinette really wanted to rebuke his statement, but anything she said in retaliation to his request would have been suspicious, and she couldn't tell them she's Ladybug and could handle herself. Instead, she stomped her foot, crossed her arms, and mumbled, "understood" with a pout.

Adrien relaxed a bit after her unwilling promise, also releasing a soft chuckle at the way she promised it. _She's kind of cute when she pouts. Reminds me of something Ladybug would do – no, bad Adrien. You can't compare two wonderful ladies with each other, that's not right. Both of them deserve better than that. My lady, my first love and now best friend, deserves someone who wouldn't compare her to someone else, despite the other being a wonderful, creative, and beautiful princess. And Marinette… she deserves better. I'm not sure what she would like in someone, perhaps whatever she sees in that stranger – _he quickly broke himself out of that receding thought, beginning to feel something bubble inside his stomach. What was it? Worry? Anger? Jealousy? Why would he be jealous? He could see being angry and worried, due to the akuma targeting her. Speaking of targeting, "hey, Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"I heard he targeted you. Did you know him?"

"No, I didn't know him," she stated. At this point, Alya and Nino tuned back into what was being said. Nino was all around confused, having been turned before any of this happened. The last thing he remembered was pushing Alya out of the way and being hit by the blast. Alya, she felt extremely guilty over the whole thing. She was so wrapped up in Nino being turned she hardly grasped anything. She knew the akuma was talking to Marinette, saying something about 'art' and 'muse,' but nothing clicked until now. She turned with guilty eyes towards Marinette, who seemed to read her mind. "It's fine, Alya. You were worried about Nino, I was too."

"But _why_ did he target you?" Adrien persisted.

"That's what I want to know. There was no way he could've known us, unless you have gone to the museum recently," Alya cut in.

"He just said something about me being his perfect muse, I have no idea what he was rambling about. But I do know that he got angry and possessive when I tried to run and hit Alya with his beam as punishment." Marinette could have sworn she heard a growl, but when she turned towards the source, it was only Adrien coughing.

"The point I'm making is…" he stated seriously but stopped with a sigh and continued in a softer, more earnest tone. "Where did he hurt you?"

Marinette was slightly surprised at how much he seemed to be concerned with her, but she couldn't expect any less from Adrien, he was so sweet and caring towards his friends. She smiled before answering, "he only hit me with his blast on my leg. I'll be fine, just a little sore. I'll be fine after some ice therapy," she giggled nervously at her lie. This seemed to satisfy Adrien as he visibly sagged in relief at her statement. He flashed her a soft, genuine smile in gratitude, which made her melt ever so slightly.

"Or maybe a hot shower, 'cause damn I hurt all over," Nino commented as he tried cracking his neck.

"Need some help with that, babe?" Alya flirted shamelessly. Both Marinette and Adrien spluttered and turned crimson at the insinuation. They weren't surprised, both of their friends did that constantly as of late, more so on Alya's part like now, but normally not after an akuma attack that put their lives in danger.

"A-Alya! You can't just say stuff like that in public!" Marinette cried.

"Why not? It's not like that's anything new between us. Besides, if you had someone to share a shower with, you would do it any time there's an opportunity," Alya accused. Marinette puffed her still crimson cheeks in indignation. She couldn't believe the gall Alya had! Those two had those girl talks occasionally, and showers came up often, and the fact that Alya hinted at that fact while in the presence of the boys was mortifying! And her winking at her right now was doing nothing to help her case! ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF ADRIEN! Oh god, she wouldn't dare look back at him, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire. _She is so dead next time we are alone._ She sent her best glare at her supposed best friend, knowing that her friend understood the threat she threw her way.

On Adrien's end, he was just as mortified, perhaps even more so. It didn't help that when he imagined that scenario, the first person who popped into his head was his princess. He would never admit to that. Nino's laughter broke his vulgar train of thought before it rode off too far. "Alya, babe, you can't talk about this sort of thing in front of the children. We discussed their innocence earlier!" he chuckled while Alya agreed and giggled while trying to get out an apology. A fake apology, but an apology nonetheless. Adrien had to forcefully clamp his lips shut as Marinette walked right to Nino and Alya and dished their own separate punishments: Nino received a swift kick to the shin while Alya got a hard pinch on her arm.

They both tried complaining to her about her harshness, but she was done with their bullshit. "Nope! I'm done with you two. First you two correct me for being hit by an akuma, which you two got hit as well but was turned to full glass. Then you embarrass Adrien and I by being inappropriate! You deserve what you get! In fact, I think Adrien should get a punishment in. Adrien?" she asked as she turned to him.

Adrien gulped at the fire in her eyes. They were angry, sure, but also final and stern. He recognized those eyes from somewhere familiar, but placed it on the fact that she has been their class president for the last three years. She knew what she was doing. "I don't know, I wouldn't take the physical route," he began with a dramatic grab of his chin in the classic 'thinking' pose. He saw Marinette beginning to smirk at his statement.

"Oh? And what would you suggest, Monsieur Agreste?" she played along.

It took everything in Adrien not to crack his façade. "Hmm, I will get back to you on that at a later date. As of right now, I'm thinking of either doing or saying something extremely embarrassing. Perhaps one of their stories of one of their more… eventful, dates?" he slyly suggested.

"My, Adrien, you couldn't possibly be thinking of blackmail?" Marinette dramatically accused, still following along in his game. They both duly ignored the blank and visibly pale faces of their friends.

"Not necessarily blackmail, just accidentally slipping in one of their stories during break one day."

"Hmm, as long as it's not blackmail, I wouldn't mind. Besides, one can't help something that accidentally slips out, hm?" she suggested with a quirk of her brow as she directed her gaze to her friends again.

"Okay, okay fine. We won't bring up our escapades around you guys again. We get that you two don't like to hear them, especially in public," Nino apologized.

"Yeah, sorry. We'll just tell you in private," Alya winked to Marinette. Marinette couldn't help but giggle anyways, despite the situation.

"Babe, how much do you tell her of us?" Nino asked in disbelief.

"It's girl code: we must tell each other _everything_ that happens with our man. That's law."

"I've never heard of such law," Nino accused with a grumble, Adrien nodding his head in affirmation.

"Of course you wouldn't have, it's girl code for a reason, babe. Boys aren't supposed to know unless they were gay. So for that, I'm glad you don't know it." The other three laughed out loud as Nino gaped and then sulked. It only took a few minutes and Adrien's comforting hand on his shoulder for Nino to join in their humor.

A cell phone chime broke their moment. Marinette dug into her purse, careful of Tikki, and found it was her phone. "Hello, papa?"

"Marinette, where are you?!" Tom asked panicked.

"I'm in front of the school with my friends, what's wrong papa?" the atmosphere quickly dissolved into anxious anticipation.

"Are you okay?" she heard her mother ask. "Anthony called and said that you weren't at the school when he went to get you earlier, and said Chat Noir saved you?"

"Oh, yeah, he did. I didn't know he was looking for me, sorry. I headed back to the school after Chat Noir saved me." She dutifully ignored Alya's questioning glare, knowing that she would be in trouble if she didn't explain later.

"Well that's good, dear. But are you hurt?" her father's voice came in again.

"I won't lie, I was hit a couple times, but I'm fine now."

"Despite her cure, we need you to come home immediately."

"Yes, papa, I'm on my way now. Au revoir," she said as she hung up. "Sorry guys, I need to go home."

"We heard that, but you need to tell me all the deets about Chat's little 'save' earlier," Alya poked her finger towards Marinette, who scratched her neck nervously with a slight blush.

"And I will, just not now. I gotta head home before my parents bust me," she said, already walking backwards towards her home.

"Fine, just go, girl! See you later!"

"A bientôt!" she cried as she ran back home. The three watched in slight concern for their friend, knowing that her overprotective parents would most likely hound her for being anywhere close to an akuma.

"Well, I hope I'll be able to see her tomorrow," Alya mumbled. "Knowing Sabine, she'll probably accidentally kill Marinette by smothering her with her concern."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Even her dad would probably crush her with how big he is," Nino mumbled.

"Yeah. But we will see her soon. The earliest would be Monday, for me. I'm sorry I can't hang out this weekend, I have a photoshoot in Madrid."

"That's okay, dude. We'll let you in on anything you might miss, including akuma attacks."

"I hope I don't miss those," he joked right back at Nino.

"Okay, boys, break up the bromance."

"No way, Alya. We've been together since day one, you can't break us up now," Adrien complained playfully.

"I can and I will, pretty boy. He's my boyfriend now."

"You know what they say," Nino began nonchalantly. "Bros before – OW!" Nino yelped as he was elbowed in his stomach by his girlfriend.

"Oops, that must've been a reflex," she defended too casually for their liking.

"Wow, that was nice of you, babe."

"Maybe next time you should remember I have my ways of you coming back to me," she insinuated with a wink before running off herself.

"Damn, that woman will be the death of me," he stated as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You both will be the death of me before any akuma. You two are so disgusting."

"And you are too innocent and sweet! I'm sure you'd be just as bad if you had a girlfriend, maybe even worse."

"Most likely," Adrien mumbled so Nino couldn't hear. "Anyways, have a nice weekend. I'll see you Monday."

"Totally, bro," Nino confirmed with their traditional fist bump.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello beautiful people! I'm sorry this chapter took so long again! My online class has been kicking my butt and I have barely touched it... Oh well, c'est la vie! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter! I was rereading it and cringed when I noticed how long it was, but it is packed with a lot of new events and hopefully this will make up for the long wait! I have a note at the bottom of this chapter for a short confusing sentence in the end, just in case it confuses some of you... Now, without further ado, enjoy!**

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Chapter 4

Back at the Dupain-Cheng residence, Marinette was bashfully running the toe of her shoe along the floor in the living room as her parents and Anthony were sitting with their arms crossed over their chests. "Now, please explain to me how you got involved with the akuma today, young lady?" Tom asked sternly.

"W-well, I really had no involvement-"

"Wrong answer, young lady," Sabine lightly scolded.

"I really didn't maman! I was just getting out of school when the akuma attacked and Alya dragged me out of the school for her blog, and the akuma was there. He ended up shooting Nino, Alya freaked out and I was there for her, but when I tried standing up to the akuma he kidnapped me and zapped Alya, I couldn't help that! And then Chat Noir came by and took me to a safer place. I swear, even ask one of them."

"I really don't want to bring them into this, but I might have to confirm your story," Tom stated with a slight tone of sorry. "We are just worried about your safety, pumpkin."

"Your father is right, Marinette. We were just worried when Tony called and asked if you made it home and that your friends were frozen and you were nowhere in sight."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"You should really try calling someone when one of the akuma attacks," Anthony cut in. "I freaked out when I couldn't find you, I even went after the akuma and the heroes."

"Anthony! Why would you do a dangerous thing like that?!" their mother squealed.

"I dealt with Americans for the last two years, I think I'm fine facing an akuma from a distance, maman. I know how to keep hidden, maybe Alya needs some pointers from me," he joked with a smirk. Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"That doesn't matter, young man, that's still dangerous. From now on, I need you two to check in with one of us at least by phone when an akuma attacks. Am I understood?"

"Yes, maman," both children responded sadly. They both shared a quick look to the other, Marinette's questioning while it seemed that Anthony was confused yet knew something that Marinette didn't. She wasn't sure she liked that look.

With a quick nervous smile to the other three, she ran up the stairs into her room and released a breath she had been holding. "Wow, that was a close call. Sorry you got in trouble, Marinette," Tikki apologized.

"It's okay Tikki, you're not at fault. That's the price I must pay to be a hero of Paris," Marinette responded whilst making a ridiculous hero pose, causing Tikki to giggle. Marinette joined her giggles and was about to say something else when she heard a rather loud knock on her door. They both squealed, Marinette's louder than the little god, and Tikki hid behind her computer monitor. _Maman and Papa knock a lot softer than that, and they should be making dinner right about now. So that means the person who knocked is-_ she was interrupted from her train of thought when the person she was about to mention walked in: Anthony. She was about to sigh in relief until she saw the look on his face. It was inquisitive, much like Alya's when she finds a scoop, except it was much more powerful. She gulped as she knew that he could read her easier than a book, and most likely wouldn't leave her room until he got what he wanted. However, she didn't know what he would want from her.

"You must be wondering why I'm up here," he read her mind. She could only respond in a slight nod as she subconsciously took a step to her computer, further hiding Tikki. "I came to ask you a few questions, and I'll know if you're lying," he stated as he took her computer chair and sat down in it. "I know you know that I won't be leaving here until I am satisfied." He only furthered his conviction as he sent a stern glare her way, warning her to tell the truth and not stray from his questions.

She gave a sigh, knowing that he was true to his word just like she was… at least most of the time. Neither child liked liars, and they didn't lie themselves. Marinette only did so to protect her alternate ego. She just hoped that she could fool him enough to protect her identity this time around. "Okay, fine. Give me your questions," she responded with more courage than she actually felt.

"Well, for starters, where were you and where did Chat Noir drop you off?"

"I was in front of the school with my friends just getting released when the akuma struck. He dropped me off on the roof of the library on Rue Montorgueil, where I could easily access the fire escape," she told honestly as she rolled on her feet.

"Okay… did you know the akuma?"

"No I didn't, never met him a day in my life."

"Then why did he take you?"

"No clue, he said something about me being his muse."

"That doesn't surprise me, you are easy on the eyes, if I were honest," he commented while scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner, giving her a teasing smirk.

"Ha ha, how nice of you to think so," she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Now, back to business. Where did you go after Chat Noir saved you?"

"I cautiously went back to the school, careful not to run into the akuma or the heroes."

"Huh, I could've sworn I would've seen you. I was close to Rue Montorgueil, after being dropped off by Ladybug on my way back to the school."

"Oh, hehe, I took a detour to ensure I didn't run into them."

"Suuuure," he confirmed skeptically. "Speaking of Ladybug, was she around when Chat Noir saved you?"

"No she didn't arrive yet."

"Do you know how they defeated the akuma?"

"They used a broken windowpane to defeat the akuma," she answered, sort of confused why he strayed ever so slightly.

"Oh really? I know that because I followed Ladybug after she dropped me off. If you truly did stay far away from the akuma, you wouldn't have known. So tell me, pipsqueak, how do you know that information? Alya was trapped by the akuma, and that would be the only other logical explanation besides you chasing the akuma. And I didn't see you anywhere… care to explain, missy?"

_Busted_, she thought as he crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I-I-I wa-as, hiding?"

"You seem unsure."

"I'm positive, I was hiding."

"Doubtful. You're doing that nervous toe tap you do when you're lying," he accused, and glancing down, she realized that she indeed was tapping her toes. She threw him a nervous half smile as she stood stock still, hoping he would be convinced, but judging by the tilt of his brow, he wasn't convinced. In fact, he looked even more suspicious of her.

"Second to last question, why do you have the same injuries as Ladybug?" Marinette was about to correct him, but he interrupted with a raise of his hand. "You don't fool me for a second, I saw you limping and not using your dominant hand this afternoon."

"Uhm, coincidence?" she said in question once more, feeling as if she's only burying herself deeper in her grave.

"Final question: are you Ladybug?"

That final question was the final nail to her grave. She almost fell on her backside at how accurate his suspicions were, but she still couldn't tell him, it was too dangerous. "L-Ladybug?! You can't be serious, Anthony. She's a hero, and I'm-"

"A smart and resourceful girl? I've spent the time while you were in school to catch up on the Ladyblog, and Ladybug is also smart and resourceful with all of those random 'lucky charms' she gets."

"There's plenty of smart and resourceful girls in Paris, Anthony," she sighed, a little more confident in this way out, hoping she could turn his own words against him.

"I've seen you do things like that when we were kids, Marbear. You used to create 'art' with anything you found in the house, and would invent random things, and they all seemed to work out. Don't think I didn't recognize Ladybug's little projector for Le Mime, you used to make those all the time."

Marinette couldn't give him a proper explanation past that, so she spluttered a few times before giving up. She really didn't know what to do, and Anthony knew it. He smirked in triumph as he leaned back in the chair, crossing his hands over his lap, and his right leg draped over his left. She could only scowl at him with her own arms crossed. "So, sis, how do you become the ever-elusive Lady Luck?" he asked with a teasing lilt to his voice.

"That would be me," a new voice said. Marinette knew it was Tikki, but he didn't know. Tikki came right up to Anthony's face, startling him. Unfortunately, he was leaning too far back for such a surprise, because just like in Marinette fashion, he fell backwards. Marinette was slightly surprised that a large man like himself could release such a girlish squeal on par with hers. "Oh, goodness! Anthony, are you alright?!"

"Meh, he'll be alright. He does that quite often."

"If so, then it's no surprise he's related to you then," Tikki teased.

"Oh hush, you," she lightly chastised her little sprite-like friend.

"M-Marbear? What the hell is that?" Anthony interjected, with an obvious sense of fear.

"Anthony, this is Tikki, she is a god-like being called a kwami. She grants me the ability to become Ladybug," she introduced while helping him into a standing position. She fixed the chair while Anthony stood dumbstruck as Tikki floated over to him.

"Pleased to finally meet you, Anthony. Marinette has spoken much of you since yesterday," she giggled at her own little joke, which wasn't missed by Marinette who sent a scowl her way. "Sorry if I startled you, you should've seen how Marinette acted when we first met."

"Hey!"

"N-nice to meet you too, Tikki," he responded awkwardly. Tikki twirled around in the air in glee at meeting someone new. "So, you turn Mari into Ladybug? How?"

"I'm sure you've kept up with the Ladyblog?"

"As of an hour ago," he winked at Marinette, who once again rolled her eyes.

"Well then you must have heard the term 'miraculous' being tossed around, you even should've heard it, being as close as you were."

"Which, by the way, we _will_ talk about later," Marinette interjected in a mother-like tone.

"Anyway," Tikki continued. "With a key phrase, I bond with Marinette's miraculous, magically turning her into Ladybug. I give her a powerful suit and certain magical abilities, like her 'lucky charm' and miraculous cure. The suit itself helps to prevent extreme injuries on her person, and also projects a sort of glamour that protects her identity from others. Even her own partner doesn't know who she is."

"Really? So him saving you was a coincidence?" he asked Marinette.

"Pure coincidence. However, him and I have been getting closer over the last couple years," she responded off-handedly.

"What? Why would a hero become close with a civilian? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Well, it could be, I guess. But him and I have been getting closer since he confessed his feelings to me about… well, Ladybug."

"Huh, so let me get this straight… Chat Noir, a super hero, is in love with Ladybug, which is you. He unwittingly confessed his feelings about Ladybug-you to Marinette-you, and you allowed that, and you became close to him as Marinette?"

"Now that you put it that way, it does sound confusing. Actually, that was the day Glaciator attacked. I went on a group date with Nino and Alya and Meléne and Ivan, and was supposed to go with Adrien, but he didn't show up. I came home depressed and by myself, and Chat Noir was on a nearby rooftop. He called out to me and we began talking. He told me that he was expecting Ladybug and that he had a surprise for her, instead he took me to see it. That's when he confessed his feelings about Ladybug to me, and simultaneously I told him that I don't have much luck in the romance department either. A few days after the Glaciator incident, he came by and didn't stop his visits. It might not be romantic, but him and I have gotten very close."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," he admitted. "So, you see nothing romantic in him whatsoever?" he asked, curious.

"Well, I'm not sure. If you asked me a year or two ago, I would've said no, that he was a major flirt and most likely a playboy. However, now, I'm not entirely certain that's correct. Sure, he's still a major flirt, and a dork, but I know that he's genuine. He would never lie to me, in either form. I trust him with my life," she confessed with a smile. She turned her gaze to Tikki and Anthony, Tikki had a knowing smile (she wasn't sure what she knew, though) and Anthony had a gradual smirk growing on his face. "But no, I don't see him in a romantic light, in either form."

"Yet," both Tikki and Anthony chorused, both laughing at how in sync they were, and even sharing a mini high five. Marinette grumbled at them before she walked over to her chaise, sitting down with a 'humph.' Anthony and Tikki shared another look with each other before making their way over to her.

"Oh, Marinette, you know we are only teasing," Anthony tried to console.

"Yes, Marinette. However, you can't deny the fact that you two are soul mates," Tikki added.

"Soulmates?!" Anthony exclaimed before being hushed by both girls. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright. Yes, her and Chat Noir are soul mates. However, soulmates don't necessarily restrict to the romantic sense; soulmates can be close friends, family, or even enemies. They are defined as perfect opposites that conform and complete each other. You two would almost be considered soulmates, but there are too many ways you are similar, I apologize."

"It's okay, I don't think I would want to be considered a soulmate with this thing," he stated while pointing to Marinette, who grabbed his thumb and twisted it backwards. "Ouch! Watch yourself, pipsqueak!"

"I can say the same for you, broccoli bean!"

"I thought I told you never to call me that," he grumbled.

"Yes, and I also told you not to call me pipsqueak, so we're even."

"Yeah, yeah. So, Tikki, you don't know if they would be soulmates in the romantic sense or not?"

"Well, I know for certain they aren't soulmates in the enemy term," Tikki stated. Her face turned a strange mix of solemn and teasing, but mostly caring. "As for the romantic or platonic sense, that is something they have to find out."

"Oh Tikki, that's what you always say," Marinette complained as she threw herself down onto her chaise, which was mostly taken over by her brother.

"Well, I have a feeling Tikki knows what she's talking about."

"That's right, I should know. I've been here with humans since the beginning, and I know a thing or two about their relationships. You should trust me and what I say, Marinette, but most importantly trust yourself."

"Alright, Tikki, I don't need any more insightful speeches," Marinette lightly scolded as she tickled Tikki on her small stomach, making her giggle. "So, what do you think, Tony?"

"Honestly, I'm terrified. You're risking your own life almost every day as Ladybug, and despite having magical abilities, you could still get hurt. As your big brother, I feel responsible for your safety."

"Tony, you shouldn't feel responsible for that, I'm a grown woman now."

"But you're still my baby sister, Marinette, and I will always have that responsibility, even when you get married. However, despite my fear, I am mostly proud. Proud that clumsy little Marbear is the strong and confident, even sassy, Ladybug, heroine of Paris. I couldn't be more proud of a growing young lady who has so much on her shoulders yet faces every day with a vibrant smile. Please, never change, Marbear."

"Don't worry, I won't," she promised with a giggle, giving her brother a tight hug.

"Speaking of… you were injured on your leg and right arm, weren't you? Do you want some ice?"

"I think I might start with a bath, to heat it up first, and then I'll ice it."

"I can help with that if you want."

"Thanks, Anthony."

"Any way I can help. I know I'm useless as a brother, so I might as well try to help in any way I can," he teased as he dramatically sulked towards her trapdoor.

"Oh, don't act like that, you know you're not useless."

"Perhaps not," he drawled as he opened her door and walked halfway down her stairs. "However, I'm sure you would choose your kitty over me if you had the choice," he winked. He only had a moment before she threw the pillow from her chaise at his head. He dodged her throw with a booming laugh and ran the rest of the way down the stairs.

"I swear, Anthony Dupain-Cheng, I will kick your butt when I catch you!"

"Marinette! Don't yell so loud in this house!" her mother chastised.

"Sorry, maman," she said as she groaned and slumped back on her chaise.

Tikki floated over and giggled at her charge. "Oh Marinette, you are so adorable."

"Oh hush, you. You didn't help me back there, now he has more fuel to tease me!"

"You'll survive, Marinette. He does love you, and he only has a few weeks with you until he needs to leave again."

"I guess that's true, and I haven't seen him in person for years, so I guess I'll just have to suffer."

"That's the spirit, Marinette!" Tikki cheered, clearly ignoring Marinette's sarcasm.

"I guess. Anyways, if I want to finish that project that's due tomorrow, I need to take a bath now."

"Okay, I'll wait out here. Maybe I'll go visit Anthony."

"That sounds good, just make sure to stay hidden."

"Will do, enjoy your bath."

After a good half-hour soak in the tub, Marinette climbed back into her room and changed into her pajamas, reluctantly getting started on her homework. About another half-hour later, she was practically done with her project when she got another knock on her door, and turning, she saw that it was Anthony. He held a plate full of an assortment of cookies, and a smiling Tikki on his shoulder. "Well, it looks like someone got close," she commented humorously.

"Of course, she's a delight," Anthony cheered.

"Yeah, you're not too bad yourself, boy," Tikki giggled, making him deflate. "How are you feeling Marinette?"

"I'm feeling better, actually. The heat really helped with the cramping," she answered.

"That's good, so ice should be able to help more," Anthony cut in, seemingly undisturbed by Tikki's earlier teasing. "Whatcha working on, squirt?"

"I'm not a squirt, but I was working on a class project that was assigned yesterday that's due tomorrow. I just have a couple more things to work on before I'm done."

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"Perhaps ten minutes, tops."

"Great! I'll go get some chocolat chaud and be back up with some ice in about ten minutes," he saluted and retreated downstairs, politely closing her door on his way out.

Marinette and Tikki glanced to each other before bursting into giggles. "Anthony is so cute," Tikki commented.

"If you mean dorky but nice and considerate, then yes, he is cute. He's always been the loving and supportive older brother, even when we were smaller. Being six years older than me, he was able to watch me when I was a baby. The bakery was still relatively new when I was born, and my parents had to go right back to work when my maman was better after having me. That left Anthony to watch and take care of me since I was a few days old."

"Wow, I never knew that."

"I'm sorry, you wouldn't have known that unless I said before. But that explains why we're so close, even now. We are so similar because I'm practically a miniature version of him, which I guess I don't mind," she shrugged, making Tikki giggle before silence fell on them so she could finish her homework.

Just like she guessed, it took roughly ten minutes to finish, so at the ten-minute mark she was just placing the project in an extra bag when she heard the expected knock on her door. "Marbear? Are you done with your homework?"

"Yes I am, Tony. You can come up." With that permission, Anthony entered her room with yet another tray, this time with chocolat chaud and some packs of ice. They went up to her chaise and set up so they would be comfortable before sitting down themselves. There was a few minutes of silence as they sat down and Marinette put ice on her sore leg, laying it on top of Anthony's lap. "Thank you, Anthony, this means a lot."

"How often do you get hurt by an akuma?"

"Not very often, it is normally a scratch or a small bruise if it all. These types of akumas are fairly rare, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I don't think I could just 'stop' being worried. I put a lot of time and investment into you, and I don't want you damaged," he commented dryly before laughing as Marinette hit him with a pillow, before wincing and placing it behind her back again. Her dominant hand would need to be iced, but she didn't want her chocolat chaud getting cold. Sucking it up, she placed ice on her arm with her left and held the mug with her right. "Do you have any scars?" he asked hesitantly.

Marinette looked at him surprised. Was he truly that worried over her? Looking into his pleading eyes, he noticed that he was practically begging her to say 'no.' She smiled before answering him. "No, I don't have any scars. It has never gotten that bad with akumas. It's mostly Chat Noir who takes the hits, but if anything, the worst injuries would be brainwashing, but the cure wipes that away. I've had many serious talks with him, and we agreed that if either of us got scars or seriously injured while fighting an akuma, we would visit Master Fu," she confessed.

"Who's Master Fu?" he asked, curious. Marinette's eyes bugged from her head when she realized her slip up, quickly banging her forehead on the back of her chaise for her mistake.

"Marinette, please stop, you will injure yourself further," Tikki pleaded. "I know you thought you slipped up, but he already knows you're Ladybug, nothing is wrong with him knowing who Master Fu is. We just won't tell him where he lives unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I guess you're right, Tikki, thanks," Marinette said with sincerity.

"Who's Master Fu?"

Tikki took it upon herself to explain who Master Fu was so Marinette could just relax. "Master Fu is the current Guardian of the miraculous'. The Guardian is a person designated to protect and distribute them to chosen holders, he was the one who bestowed the Ladybug miraculous to Marinette and the Chat Noir miraculous to Chat Noir. He is in possession of all but two of the other miraculous stones."

"So one, I'm assuming, is Hawkmoth?"

"That's correct."

"And the other one?"

"That is the peacock miraculous. No one knows where that one is, it disappeared approximately seventy-five years ago."

"Oh, what a shame. I have confidence that Marbear and Chat Noir will take Hawkmoth's miraculous and find the peacock miraculous!" he stood up dramatically making a pose. Marinette probably would have laughed at his antics, and she tried, but the sudden movement hurt her arm and her leg, which was lying on top of his lap. She almost spilled her drink, too, but she expected his dorkiness to show so she was able to prevent any other accidents from occurring. She sent a playful glare to him, which he responded with a nervous chuckle and a hushed apology before sitting down. "So, in short, Master Fu is the one responsible for choosing new holders and giving them the miraculous?"

"Not exactly. Most of the time, yes, he could do that, but he doesn't. For Marinette and Chat Noir, he presented a test around Paris, and only a handful were able to set aside their time and help him. But when it came to an actual chosen, Plagg and I chose Marinette and Chat Noir instead of being 'assigned.'"

"So do the other miraculous get to choose their holders?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Then how come you two got to choose?"

"If you haven't figured it out, Plagg and I are the most powerful kwamis and, in conjunction, our miraculous' are the most powerful of any of them. Plagg and I actually represent Yin and Yang, creation and destruction, good luck and bad, light and darkness."

"Oh, that makes sense. That also explains the cryptic statement you said earlier," he poked at her stomach, eliciting another giggle from her. "Do you happen to know who Chat Noir is?"

Tikki was on her way to grab another cookie before she stopped midair at his question. Her body turned from a dark pink color to a slightly more red color before reverting back to normal. She turned her eyes back to the pair who were staring questioningly at her. She gave them a small smile, and Marinette noticed the knowing smirk at the corner of her lips and the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. Anthony, however, didn't know Tikki as well, so he figured she was just sending a nice smile their way, but Marinette knew, and it irked her how Tikki continued to tease her. "Oh yea, I know Chat Noir. I've known who he was for the last couple years."

"What?! Tikki, why didn't you tell me you knew?" Marinette cried, and Tikki's façade only altered slightly as she gave a small guilty smile.

"I didn't think it was important that you knew of my knowledge of him. You didn't want to know who he was, so I never bothered in telling you. Besides, it never came up in a conversation," she winked teasingly at Marinette before actually grabbing a cookie. Marinette could only huff in exasperation at how sly and cunning her kwami was, but wasn't surprised given how old she was.

"Did I miss something?" Anthony asked as he glanced between the two.

"Oh, not much, just that Marinette never told me about you or the fact that she had a brother."

"Ah, so there's a little strife between you because of that little 'secret'?"

"No, it's just fun to tease her from time to time."

"I can agree with that," Anthony commented before being hit once more by Marinette, this time with her good leg.

"I hate you two," she mumbled into her mug with a deep blush.

"We love you too, Marinette," Tikki complimented as she hugged her cheek with a giggle, Anthony joining in with a pat on her leg.

The rest of the night went along smoothly, with Marinette icing her leg and then keeping it off for twenty minutes at a time. Shortly after their conversation about Master Fu, she received an email from the school stating that school would be cancelled the next day due to how many were injured from the akuma. Their family played a few games after dinner to release the tension that filled the house, and were released to their room roughly around nine. Anthony didn't get much sleep that day, so he went to bed early along with their parents. Marinette couldn't sleep due to the cramping in her leg, so she stayed up to ice it and design. Her arm was completely healed up, due to it not being affected for as long as her leg. Tikki has long since been asleep in a stack of pillows, so Marinette was just working by candlelight at her desk, before she was interrupted by a small series of knocks on her window. Glancing up, she saw bright green cat eyes peering at her, and with a scoff and roll of her eyes, she lightly called, "it's open," to let her kitty in.

He easily and deftly crept into her room before sauntering over to her. "Good evening, purrrincess," he purred while grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles. "You look as lovely as ever."

"Ha ha, very funny Chat. You know, you shouldn't flirt so shamelessly with random girls," she admonished while pushing him back by his nose.

He wiggled his nose in response before giving her a slight glare. "I don't flirt with random girls, princess, just the most beautiful," he winked and ignored her scoff. "Also, I'm not joking about you being lovely, Marinette. I was serious about that."

"Yeah, right. I probably look a mess right now."

"Let's see now," he stated as he turned her chair to face him directly. He kneeled in front of her, which made him only slightly lower than her eye level. She froze as she noticed his piercing gaze analyzing her very soul. "I see a beautiful young woman with smooth, ivory skin, perfectly marked with adorable freckles. She has stunning, sky blue eyes that hold the most optimism and passion I've ever seen. Her jet-black hair could rival the night sky, and her lips," he cut himself off and quickly glanced at her lips. She dared not lick her suddenly dry lips in fear of encouraging him somehow. "the prettiest shade of pink I've ever seen, and they're not too big nor too small, but just… perfect. Just like their owner," he finished in a low tone as his eyes slightly turned lidded, but perhaps that was her imagination.

She gulped before scoffing again, attempting to contain her blush. Blush? Luckily for her, her alarm ruined the moment. She quickly stood up, careful not to knock over Chat in her haste, and politely excused herself to go downstairs. Marinette took the opportunity alone to collect her thought about what just happened. _What just happened?_ she asked herself. She knew he flirted with her, well, both personas, at first it was Ladybug and now Marinette. However, she felt like this type of flirting was different from the rest. Occasionally, he would spout some nonsense, complimenting her randomly. Tonight, though, he told her about things he admired about her straightforward, at least about her face. _If I didn't know any better, I would think he might have a crush on me._ She shook her head, simultaneously shaking the thought away. Why would he crush on Marinette? Sure, they have been getting to know each other a lot better the last few years, but still, that doesn't mean he got over Ladybug to go for Marinette, despite them being the same person. She took a deep breath to clear her thoughts as she brewed some chocolat chaud before grabbing some ice and walking back upstairs.

Meanwhile, Adrien appeared to be as calm as a lounging cat, key word: appeared. Inside, he was having a mental breakdown. He just wanted to prove to her how truly beautiful she was, despite him restricting himself to only complimenting her visage. When she left, he realized that everything he said could have been taken as him flirting with her, as per usual. _Why can't I just compliment her without it sounding like I'm flirting?!_ he angrily asked himself. He could almost hear Plagg answering something about being a suave catsonova, just like all of his previous kittens. Adrien grumbled as he began pacing around the room. He really needed to have her know that he didn't flirt with just any female he saw; he wasn't _that much_ of a tom cat. He certainly didn't mean to flirt with her, despite having a developing crush on her, which he still feared to admit. He meant everything he said, and he wasn't going to take any of it back, but he needed to let her know that he was just being friendly.

Chat was startled from his thoughts when he heard her making her way back up her staircase with a tray. He quickly threw his trauma aside as he went to help her. "Let me help you, princess," he suggested, before he realized that his voice was about an octave lower than he intended. He cleared his throat as he took the tray from her, which was surprisingly heavy, and set it on her table. She followed close behind and took the cover off the tray, revealing two mugs of chocolat chaud, a plate of cookies, and… an ice pack? Marinette brought him out of his musings by offering one of the mugs to him and a cookie, which he mumbled a quiet, "thank you, Marinette."

She nodded and offered her rolling chair as she grabbed her mug, a couple cookies, and the ice pack and made her way to her chaise. There was a moment of silence as they both sipped from their mugs and tried a bite of cookie. Chat hesitantly broke the silence, "listen, Mari, I didn't mean to sound like I was flirting earlier. I was honestly trying to compliment you, please don't take offense."

"No worries, Kitty," she giggled, which most assuredly did _not_ make his heart skip a beat. "I didn't think you were actually flirting with me, you were much too serious for that," he pouted lightly at her. "Sure, it sounded like you were flirting, but I know your real flirting. I just don't really take compliments like that very well, sorry," she awkwardly ducked her head and scratched her neck.

"No need to apologize, princess. I understand how difficult it is to accept certain compliments, but everything I said is true, and I'm not taking anything back," he affirmed as he sipped his chocolat chaud in mock elegance with his legs crossed and his pinkie raised.

Marinette laughed more genuinely this time before responding, "okay, I won't make you." Silence ensued once more, but this time was more peaceful. It was only interrupted as Chat wheeled himself over close to her chaise. "So… what happened to your leg, princess?"

"Oh, I was just hit by the akuma earlier, that's all."

"I thought I took you to safety?" he rose a brow.

"Don't worry, you did. But being a friend with the Ladyblogger, my curiosity got the better of me."

"Curiosity killed the cat you know," he admonished.

"But satisfaction brought it back," she quipped with a wink, internally cringing as she stole one of his most famous arguments against Ladybug. He only chuckled in response, before scowling once more. "Were you hurt anywhere else?"

Marinette thought about it before answering, "No, I wasn't. I ran away as quickly as possible after I encountered the akuma." She couldn't have Chat Noir knowing that she had the same exact injuries as Ladybug, that would be too suspicious. She could handle sharing one similar injury.

"Good," he commented after he stared at her for a moment, expecting a quirk of her lying or some other body part in pain, but finding none. Marinette released a silent breath of relief as he shrugged his shoulders and laid his back against her chair. Silence fell on them once more as they continued drinking their chocolat chaud and finished the plate of cookies. "How badly was it injured?" he inquired quietly.

"Not too bad," she answered honestly. "Just a little sore, like I overworked it or something. It's not too serious. It might be better by the morning."

"I hope," he grumbled, still slightly glaring her way.

"Don't look at me like that, I couldn't help it."

"You could have if you just followed my instructions and stayed away from the akuma."

"Alya would've killed me if I didn't get any footage!"

"The akuma could've easily killed you too!" he near shouted before he caught himself. Marinette was stunned when she saw the genuine look in his eyes as he turned away from her in embarrassment. The longer she stared the more she realized that he began to curl into himself.

She let herself give him a soft smile, though he hasn't looked at her yet, before she reached forward to turn his face her way. Marinette had to be careful or she would fall off her chaise and, despite this being a serious conversation, he wouldn't be able to resist giving his, 'falling for me princess?' line again as he has done many times before. She reached his face and gently grabbed just past his chin to turn him towards her, finally showing her reassuring smile to him. "I know you're concerned about my well-being, Chat, but I'm fine. Sure, there's no guarantee that something like this can happen again, and I can't promise that I won't be hurt, but I can promise that I'll be more careful," she tried to reassure him.

She could tell that he was analyzing her once more to see if she was lying to him, which she was confident that he wouldn't find, before his slackened his tense body and gave her a soft smile of his own. "Thank you, princess. A promise to at least try to remain safe is better than no promise at all. I'll accept this, for now," he stated before his smile turned into a sly smirk. "And if you break your promise, I'll have to punish you."

Marinette hesitated, her arm slightly shaking as she asked, "what do you mean, punish?" in a quiet tone, slightly fearing his answer. His smirk turned carnal as he gently grabbed her wrist before she could retreat and gave her palm a big lick. "EW!" she near screeched as she tried to pull her arm back to no avail. "That's so gross, Chat!"

Still holding onto her wrist, he gave her forearm a long lick as well, receiving another delightful shriek out of her. _This is somewhat fun, teasing her like this. I guess she hasn't grown out of her 'cooties' stage yet,_ he thought with a smirk. Luckily for Marinette, though, Chat thought he has teased her enough… for now. Releasing her arm, which she instantly pulled close to herself, he noticed that her face could rival Ladybug's suit. He could practically see the steam rising from her, whether it be from her ears in anger or her face in embarrassment. Either way, he reveled in seeing her like this. Despite Marinette and Adrien becoming closer over the years, she still doesn't display very many emotions around Adrien as she does Chat Noir. _I wonder why she isn't as expressive with Adrien_, he wondered to himself.

He was suddenly brought back from his thoughts when said young lady stood directly in front of him, almost nose to nose with him. "Now listen here, you alley cat. You can't go around licking random strangers, and as punishment no less!"

"But you're not a stranger, princess," he retorted in a sultry tone, which she ignored.

"Nevertheless, you don't have any right to punish me like a child. I'm a young adult now."

"So I've noticed," he admired as he looked her over before he could stop himself. It was a simple gesture, meant to be teasing, but once the words spilled from his mouth, he realized it sounded dirty. The two just stood their gaping at each other, horrified over what he just said. Marinette's cheeks were the only ones affected, being a bright pink hue, while Adrien could feel his whole face turn ablaze in embarrassment. "I-I-I didn't m-mean that, princess," he tried to apologize but cut himself short as Marinette's blush faded ever so slightly and her gape turned into a deep smirk. He didn't like that look.

"Oh? Then how did you mean it? Either you were flirting again, or you finally noticed my feminine charm has made its appearance," she stated while flipping her hair, which Chat just now noticed was loose from her signature pigtails. Chat couldn't help but laugh at her phrasing, thankful that she eased his stress, whether it be intentional or accidental.

Chat was also slightly unnerved that both of her guesses were actually correct, for the most part: he can't help but flirt with her, since the beginning but especially after all the times they've hung out with each other, and she certainly has become a beautiful young lady. No wonder he's developed a crush on her; she was smart, kind, and beautiful. _If only I knew of her crush earlier_, he thought to himself, but then stopped. If he knew of her feelings before, he would've had to deny her because of Ladybug. Although they never engaged in a relationship, and most likely won't any time soon, he would've felt like he was cheating on Ladybug if he liked another girl, no matter how awesome Marinette was. And now, after so many years, Chat and Ladybug had an intense talk about their partnership. It was actually on Christmas that he mentioned off-handedly that he had an intense crush on her since they first fought Stoneheart. After a deep conversation about it, they settled on just being partners, and best friends than to try to engage in a relationship. They agreed that a superhero relationship would be dangerous, especially when they didn't know each other's identities. Ladybug believed that knowing the other's identity would be more dangerous, but Chat disagreed. Either way, after he confessed and they decided to just be friends, he felt an immense weight lift from his shoulders. He was glad he took Marinette's confession to Adrien as reference, he felt much better after admitting what has been troubling him over the years.

Surprisingly enough, she confessed to Adrien only weeks before he confessed to Ladybug. But once he confessed to her, only a few days passed before he realized he was developing a small crush on the fashion designer. It was small at first but developed into an even larger crush than he's had on Ladybug. Frighteningly enough, he didn't realize it was that massive until just the other day, and only increased today with the akuma and how she was hurt.

He realized a little late that he hasn't answered her insinuation earlier, and she was just standing there with a slightly strained smile awaiting his reply. He subtly shook his head to clear his thoughts, before responding. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied lamely. Chat was inwardly smacking his head at how stupid he sounded. _Seriously?! You call yourself a catsanova, that was seriously so lame!_ He could practically hear Plagg snickering at him from within the ring. Luckily, his savior came from the bell-like laughter coming from the young lady.

"Really, that's your response, 'I guess so'? I thought a flirt like yourself would've come up with something more suave than that," she smirked.

"What can I say," he shrugged nonchalant, attempting to regain his 'suave' composure. "Your beauty just leaves me speechless." He mentally pat himself on his back at how his charm came back. He noticed with a hint of satisfaction that Marinette's eyes bugged ever so slightly, mouth opening a little in a small gasp, and her blush returning. However, this expression quickly disappeared as she scoffed and went back to laying on her chaise to ice her leg once more.

Chat's expression softened again as he followed close behind her, gently moving her legs so he could sit next to her, much in the same position that Anthony sat in earlier, not that he would know. Marinette quirked a brow at him as he gently set her legs atop his own, allowing her better comfort, before sending a small smile her way. Those smiles of his always caught her off guard and she could never beat down her blush in time before he could notice. This time, however, he didn't tease her about it, instead reached to her feet and began to rub them. She thought he was acting a little strange tonight, but as long as he was happy that was all that mattered. He continued rubbing her feet as she relaxed into her chaise, getting used to the ice on her leg. Luckily, she wore a capris type pant for pajamas, seeing how her room was very warm; too warm for long pants but too cold for shorts. She was glad she wasn't wearing shorts, she would've been embarrassed wearing them around Chat, for some reason she couldn't fathom. She belatedly noticed that as he was rubbing her feet, he began purring. She became confused as she thought back to her knowledge of cats. Normally cats only purr if they feel comfortable in their environment, so either Chat felt comfortable here or he was purring to make her feel better. She was hoping for the former, but both options were good. His deep voice, influenced by his purring, broke her from her thoughts. "How does your leg feel, princess?"

"It feels a lot better; I'm hoping it does feel better in the morning. I don't like limping," she admitted while making a face, causing him to chuckle lowly at her. She won't admit that his deep voice made her shiver, nope. They fell into another peaceful silence as his purring continued and he kept rubbing her feet, now starting to rub up her calves. "Chat, is something wrong?"

"What do you mean, princess?"

"I don't know, something just seems… off. What's up? Do you want to talk about it?"

Adrien thought for a moment, trying to think of what she could be talking about. Honestly, there was nothing really wrong, besides his worry over her well-being. But then, when he really thought of it, if anything was bothering him, it was probably his developing crush on her. But he wasn't going to admit to that. Not yet. He chuckled once more before responding, "honestly, Marinette, nothing is wrong. Nothing I wish to speak about." Marinette gave him an imploring look, silently asking him to elaborate. That look made him hurt inside, seeing her so worried about him over nothing. His nerves, however, prevented him from telling her right out about his feelings, much like with Ladybug, perhaps worse. He gave her another soft, genuine smile as he reached for her hands and brought them a few inches from his face. "Truly, princess, nothing is wrong. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Something I've been thinking about over the past few days is making me quite lethargic. I couldn't be happier! Well, I could but not at this moment. I promise, once I have the courage to talk about it, you will be the first to know. I purrromise," he joked, albeit genuinely, while kissing her knuckles slowly.

Marinette could feel her face burn ferociously once again at his genuine promise. She could just tell that he was telling the truth, and she couldn't feel happier. She gave him one of her own smiles as she gently tried taking her hands away, only to have Chat gently keep a tight grip on her knuckles, rubbing his thumb pads across them. She raised another curious brow at him as he stared off into space, while sort of staring at her hands. After a moment, he looked up at her and returned her smile. It only lasted a moment though, before it turned into a smirk for some reason. She rolled her eyes as she forcefully took her hands from him, this time he let her, before he returned to rubbing her feet and calves. "You don't have to rub my feet you know; they're not injured."

"I know, I just want to. Is that so bad?"

"Well, no, thank you."

"It's a pleasure. Although, would you like be to rub your whole leg?" he insinuated with a carnal smirk and a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. This time, Marinette rolled her eyes and leaned closer, slightly catching him by surprise.

"No thank you. You know what they say about strays: let them inside and they'll never leave, especially if you give them too much of a good thing," she said in a deeper voice than she thought she would.

"Oh? Are you saying you're that good thing?" he responded in the same deep tone.

"Purrrhaps," she punned, watching his eyes light up ever so slightly. "Why else would you be coming back?"

They were so into their bickering, as normal, that they didn't realize they were nose to nose, much like earlier. Adrien's pulse was racing, he was just so close to her that he could kiss her and get away with it, but he didn't want to push her into something she might not want. He continued with their game though, despite the sure-tell sign of a heart attack coming. "Cookies, of course," he finally responded.

"Of course it's the cookies you want," she lightly admonished as she sat back in her seat going back to relaxing, this time with her eyes closed. Chat automatically went back to rubbing her feet and purring, hoping to lull her into sleep. She seemed tired after the long day she had.

It didn't take long for his assumption to be correct, with her falling asleep fairly quickly. He felt bad that he wouldn't be able to put the ice pack away, not without her permission to go through her house, but he figured she could just put it away in the morning. Ever so gently, he lifted the petite young woman up, carefully jumping up to her loft and placing her underneath her covers, tucking her in so she would be warm. Once she was settled, he went down and turned off her lights and was about to leave when he heard a weak, "Chat?" Quickly looking up, he noticed she slightly sat up to look for him.

"I'm here, princess," he comforted as he jumped up next to her bed.

"Thank you," she said softly after she yawned. He was confused as to why she thanked him. His confusion apparently showed, because she softly giggled before elaborating. "You were here for me tonight, I didn't even realize I needed someone to talk with, or even spend time with. So, thank you. Just know you can talk to me anytime, kitty."

"Of course, princess, I will take you up on your offer someday."

"Good night, kitty."

"Sweet dreams, princess," he near whispered as she fell asleep. He waited a minute until he knew she fell asleep. He pushed away her bangs, reveling in their softness, before he pressed a light kiss upon her temple. "See you soon, Marinette." With that, he quietly crept out the window, locked it with his claws, and left for his own home.

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**Hello, beautiful people! As I stated in the earlier note, the strange word choice was using the word 'lethargic' when Chat Noir was talking about his emotions. For the purpose of the statement, the word is supposed to mean 'sluggish' or 'slow.' English is weird for me, despite being my first language. I tend to use bigger words not a lot of people understand, so I just wanted to be sure you guys understood where I was going with that... As stated before, I have a couple more chapters completed, but I would like to keep on top of them before posting. With my online class and another story I'm trying to finish, it might take about another month again, just so you're warned! But hopefully you kiddos will stay with me as I continue this fun story! Stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, beautiful people! Again, I'm sorry for the late update, but I'm glad I waited. I was actually a little impatient to post, but this is for the greater good. The quarter of school will end in roughly 2.5 weeks, so afterwards I can try to bust my behind and finish this story! I might even start posting new stories too. It'll be great practice for my English class next quarter... creative writing! I'm so excited... Anyhow, I truly hope you enjoy this fun chapter like I did when writing it. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5

The next morning came fast for him, but it wasn't unpleasant. Despite Plagg's complaints about being out so late to visit his girlfriend (not that he would admit that Plagg was almost right since day one) and that he needed cheese or he would starve, it seemed to be a beautiful day. That beautiful day quickly turned dark as he realized he wasn't going to school. Glancing across his room, he took notice of his luggage that was already packed a week ago. He sighed as he heard a knock on his door. "Adrien, are you awake?" he heard Natalie ask.

"Yes, I just got up."

"Please be dressed within the next fifteen minutes so we can leave within the hour," she quipped, still being polite but stern. He sighed again, letting her know that he heard her before she marched off down the hall, most likely to her desk. Plagg looked at him a little concerned, before it was gone as he gulped down his cheese whole. Adrien almost gagged as he finished changing and went to fix his hair.

Just as Natalie said, they were going to the airport within the hour, having passed the school (with him sighing forlornly, mostly for his princess, not that he would admit that), and driving through the main part of the city before reaching the airport. It took them a couple hours, but he sighed in relief of not having to be cramped in the plane for too long. Once he arrived at the set, he noticed everyone running amuck. He could tell it was going to be a really long weekend. He glanced at his phone, tempted to text his friends again, especially Marinette, but was interrupted by the photographer barking orders. Yep, this is going to be a long weekend.

* * *

"This is going to be a long weekend," Marinette commented drily. She and Alya were just completing a history assignment and talking before their lunch break Friday, when Marinette slumped over her part of the desk and began fiddling with her pencil.

"Yeah, especially because _Adrien_ isn't going to be here," Alya commented with a smirk. Marinette didn't miss the 'subtle' suggestion, and only sighed in response. Alya knew about the night her friend confessed, but she refused to believe that Marinette got over him. She claimed that she 'wants to see her ship sail,' whatever that meant. Marinette could write a book over how many things Alya said that any normal person wouldn't be able to understand. She could only sigh again as she slumped further into her desk. It was true that Adrien wouldn't be there this weekend, but she was mostly worried about her kitty, but she wouldn't admit that. He told her a few days ago that he was going to be visiting family in another country this weekend, and he would need all the support he could get. She almost wanted to giggle as she remembered his face as he said it, but she was too depressed. "Girl, it's only for a few days, chill." Alya was confused as to why Marinette was so down. It was true that Alya wanted to see her two friends together, but Marinette said she was over him. Also- "why are you so down when you have another man, Marinette?" she couldn't help but ask.

Marinette stopped her tapping on the table, which was slowly irritating her friend, not that she noticed, and looked towards her with a raised brow. "Another man?"

"Yeah, that hottie that picked you up on the motorcycle the other day."

"Hottie? Babe, I don't drive a motorcycle," Nino snarked from in front of the girls. Alya scoffed and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's reverse pick-up line while Marinette giggled despite her despair.

"I wasn't talking about you babe, I was talking about the hottie we all saw."

"That hurts, babe. How should I feel about you calling other guys hot in front of me?"

"Well," she said coyly as she sarcastically tapped a 'thinking' finger on her chin. "Adrien and I did make a pact on being each other's rebound if anything happened to you."

"You what?!" Marinette never heard about this, were they serious?! One look to Nino and saw the dead look in his eyes, albeit them being playful. _They were serious. _Either they actually did make a pact, or they made one jokingly but in front of Nino anyways.

"Yeah, used a blood oath and everything, girl, just like at our sleepovers," Alya winked. At that moment, Marinette knew that the pact was playful banter and she had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. They never made a blood oath, so she knew that Alya was just trying to rile Nino up. Well, Marinette could roll with it.

"Oh, then that's okay. Adrien would be a good rebound. I'm honestly not surprised you would go for his best friend, that would be typical Alya," she fake-shrugged her shoulders. Nino's pout only became more pronounced.

"You two are so mean," he whisper-pouted, making the girls laugh out loud. They almost completely forgot what they were talking about while teasing Nino, before Alya cut back to the chase.

"You didn't answer me though; on Wednesday, someone on a motorcycle picked you up. Who was it?" Marinette had to think for a moment before Alya cut in with, "his name was Anthony?"

"Oh, yeah. What about him?"

"Who _is he_, Mari?" Alya's patience was growing thin, Nino could tell, but Marinette just looked confused at why she was asking about him.

"Oh, well-" just then the bell for lunch break sounded, signaling the end of their classes for the first half of the day. "How about I introduce him, yeah? He wants to meet you guys anyways."

"Were you going to go somewhere for lunch with him?" Nino asked concerned, because he didn't want to interrupt their date.

"No, we were going to eat at home today. I'll just let my parents know I'm inviting you two as well," she chirped, making her way to the entrance. It didn't take long for them to get to Marinette's house, already smelling the delicious meal that was likely almost done. "Maman, papa, I brought Alya and Nino along, is that okay?"

"Of course it is, sweetie," her mother called from the kitchen as Tom came out and shared a brief handshake with Nino and hugged Alya.

"Where's Anthony?"

"He should be here any minute, he had to run to the market." Almost right on cue, Anthony walked in the door.

"I brought the sacrifice!" he exclaimed as he walked in, not amusing the other three Dupain-Cheng's but making the 'strangers' laugh. "Oh, I didn't know we were having company," he mumbled embarrassed. He made his way over to the table and set down the bag, which Tom immediately grabbed and gave to Sabine, before he made his way to Marinette and kissed the top of her head. "Hey Marbear, how was school?"

"Exhausting, but not finished yet." Their casual exchange was making Alya more and more impatient, while Nino stood flabbergasted at them, and Marinette and Anthony were none the wiser.

"Honey, do you want to introduce Anthony or are you two going into your own world again?" Tom cut in, startling the two kids who were now nervously rubbing their necks.

"Sorry, guys meet Anthony. Anthony, meet Alya and Nino."

"Ah, so you're the Ladyblogger Mari has talked about?"

"Yeah," she said hesitantly, not knowing if she should trust the young man. He seemed nice, but she still didn't know him. "Are you Marinette's boyfriend?" she cut to the chase.

Unfortunately, her straightforwardness caused the whole room to still in awkward silence for a few minutes, before bursting in laughter from the three Dupain-Cheng's and Anthony. Alya folded her arms close to her body in embarrassment and tapped her foot in impatience, waiting to know what was so funny. "W-w-wait, y-you thi-nk that, hahaha that I'm this pipsqueak's boyfriend?!" Anthony managed.

Marinette managed to stop her giggling and shout an indignant 'hey' to him before giggling again at their faces.

"No offense, Marbear, but you're not my type," he teased.

"Oh yeah? Is Tifanny your type then?" she teased right back as she playfully crossed her arms. He could only gasp at her in shock with his mouth gaping open.

"Alright you two, why don't you stop tormenting your friends Marinette and just tell them," Sabine gently admonished as she continued making the lunch with the newly attained ingredients.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh a little guiltily at what her mother said, but she didn't hold back more giggles looking at her friends faces. "A-a-al-alright, then," she said, attempting to quell her giggles. "Guys, meet Anthony, my older brother," she introduced properly this time.

"BROTHER?!" Nino and Alya shouted in unison. They couldn't have known she had a brother, and Marinette felt even guiltier about it because they have been friends for years now, especially with how close her and Alya were.

"Yeah, my brother. Sorry, mentioning that I have a brother sort of slipped my mind," she admitted with a blush and scratching her neck.

"Sort of? Sort of?! Girl, you can sort of forget about a quiz on a given day. You can sort of mess up your make up. You can sort of forget to brush your hair and teeth in the morning on your rush to school. You can NOT forget to mention you have a sibling! Especially after all this time!"

"Alya, I would appreciate it if you could calm down and lower your voice, please," Tom lightly admonished, chuckling when he made the outspoken girl blush, which was a difficult feat.

"Sorry, Tom. Anyways, why didn't you tell us? Tell me?" At first Alya sounded a little curious, before she sounded betrayed. Marinette felt even worse about not telling them, especially her.

"I'm truly sorry, it just never came up."

"You could've just randomly said something, like whenever I complained about my siblings you could've commented about your brother doing the same thing."

"Sorry, my brother isn't as bad as your siblings," she stated to try to lighten the mood, being effective when a corner of Alya's mouth twitched slightly. "He may be bad, but not near as bad as them," she continued, this time more on the teasing side directing towards her brother.

"Hey," he exclaimed affronted. "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent older brother, god-like in fact," he praised himself with a puff of his chest.

"Yes, and would mister god-like brother care to explain how well your cooking of linguini is?" she prompted while resting her hands on her hips. He visibly deflated with his face immediately flushing.

"Stop bringing up that story," he whined.

"What? What happened?" Nino finally piped up.

"Long story short, we had to call the fire department," Marinette confessed with a dismissive wave of her hand and a large smirk adorning her face.

"What?! Linguini is so easy, how could you mess up so badly that you had to call the fire department?" Alya asked, surprised.

"Don't even ask, I still don't know the answer to this day," Tom cut in with a small smirk of his own, making Anthony grumble and the rest of the kids to laugh. The rest of lunch went fairly well, with stories from the past that made the siblings laugh and pout in embarrassment on their own sides. Eventually, they made it to Marinette's room where they were stuffed and just talking about nothing until they had to return to school.

"So, Anthony, what is your occupation and where have you been for the last few years?" Alya asked, quickly warming up to her best friend's older brother.

"Oh, that's an easy question," he started as he placed down his iced tea he made, greatly confusing Marinette's two friends about what the drink was. "I've been touring the States for the last couple years with my magazine crew."

"Did you say the states?"

"Did you say magazine crew?!" both friends questioned at the same time, causing the two Dupain-Cheng siblings to laugh at them once more.

"Yes, I graduated university a few years ago and went to work traveling with my magazine crew, _Travel __à la Mode_."

"Oh! I read those magazines! It's my favorite France based magazine about traveling the world. But, I don't remember there being an Anthony Dupain-Cheng in there…" she considered with a slight pout.

"That's because there isn't. I don't really want to be bombarded by crazy fans once they know who I am."

"It's a little late for that, dude," Nino half-mumbled to Anthony.

"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"If you haven't noticed, you're kind of a hunk," Alya managed to admit with a straight face. Her straightforwardness caused Anthony to blush and lower his head in embarrassment, covering his cheeks with his hands, much like what Marinette does when she's embarrassed. Nino didn't seem to take offense to how his girlfriend called him a hunk, seeing how it was true and knew that Alya wouldn't try anything with Anthony. He was safe, for now.

Marinette couldn't help but giggle as the tables turned on her brother. "It's true, Tony. A few girls in the school have already started talking about 'the hottie with a motorcycle.'"

"Yeah, a couple even threatened Marinette about being seen with you Wednesday," Alya commented casually, shooting Mari a slight smirk knowing what sort of reaction she was going to get. As expected, Marinette's cheeks turned pink, but before she could correct Alya she was suddenly grabbed by her brother.

"You were threatened? By who? What did they say? I swear I'll kick their asses," he declared with sincerity. Alya and Nino were slightly surprised at how protective he seemed of Marinette, while she didn't seem at all surprised over his protective nature.

"It's nothing I can't handle. It mostly consisted of, 'you better stay away from him,' or 'he's all mine, he'll fall for me once he sees my beautiful face,' yada yada-" Marinette scoffed while mocking the girls who apparently threatened her. Her little show startled a laugh from her friends who knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Hehehe, totally. Lila truly is a piece of work."

"Lila? Lila Rossi?"

"You know her?" Alya asked.

"Sort of. Marinette sometimes complains about this 'insufferable girl Lila' at school, saying that she could be even worse than Chloe at times."

"Oh yeah, she's a pathological liar who tries to get close with those most famous or rich."

"Most notably Adrien, he's her favorite target," Alya tried again, trying to get a rise out of Marinette, only receiving an eye roll in response. Either Marinette was onto her, or she truly was over Adrien and couldn't care less if Lila and Adrien went out.

Anthony, being observant himself, noticed the look Alya gave Marinette, and knew that she must assume that Mari still had a crush on the young model. "Do you think she has a crush on him?"

"I doubt it," Nino cut in, oblivious to the looks the others were sending each other. "I hear around that she says what she does to most attractive or rich guys, not just Adrien. Adrien just happens to be rich, famous, and attractive, not to mention too nice for his own good. That cinnamon roll is going to have a hard time once he graduates."

"Doesn't he already have girl problems now?" Alya teased knowingly. She also knew that for a while, Adrien had a crush on a mysterious girl that lasted until just a couple seasons ago.

"He does, not that he's going to do anything about it," Nino rolled his eyes.

"So, where is this mysterious model-boy anyways?" Anthony asked.

"Besides in the magazines I know are around Marinette's room," she paused knowingly, ignoring Marinette's blushing face and stutters of betrayal, "he's in Milan for the weekend for a photoshoot."

"That sucks. I was excited to meet the young man who stole my baby sister's heart," be playfully pouted, making the friends laugh while Marinette smacked his shoulder, hard.

"I told you before, I no longer have a crush on him! Also, I'm no longer your baby sister. I'm your younger sister," she huffed.

"You're still my baby sister, and nothing will change that," he teased while ruffling her hair. In response, she begrudgingly stood up and made her way to her vanity to fix her now ruined hair.

"You two are surprisingly close, why is that?" Nino asked, and judging by Alya's face, she was wondering the same thing.

"Well, for a while, I was practically raising Marinette myself. When we were kids, maman and papa were always busy with the bakery and, with me being a full six years older, I was able to take care of her. I was always there for her up until she was old enough to take care of herself, which was only a few years ago," he teased again, making himself chuckle lowly. Those chuckles quickly turned into a painful cry, however, when she threw a makeup brush at him before continuing with her hair.

"Wow, who knew. No wonder you two are so alike, she practically is a carbon copy of you."

"You got that right. It also helps we are so similar because we get along fabulously," he stated while posing dramatically. The four laughed once more before Alya's alarm went off, signaling the time to go back to school. As they made their way there with Anthony in tow, he admitted that his celebrity name was Tony D'Alto (for which he explained why the name was funny, being the Italian meaning for son of the tall one), for which his Italian 'friend' Tifanny helped create. "I'll see you later, pipsqueak," he bid farewell as they reached the front of the school, making a mad dash back home when Marinette tried punching him.

"You two are super sweet," Alya commented to her side. She seemed to be genuine, but there was a mix of admiration and disgust on her face as she said it. "It's kinda gross."

"How so?" Marinette challenged with a quirk of her brow.

"It's cute how you two are so close that you know practically everything about each other," Marinette jolted slightly when, in fact, her brother practically did know everything about her, including her biggest secret. "But then again, it seems so perfect that it's as cheesy as an American rom-com," she commented with a roll of her eyes, making her two friends laugh.

"I agree, he seems like the perfect protective brother that you only read in stories," Nino perked up.

"That's true, but he's practically my other half, I couldn't even imagine my life without him in it."

"Well, you better start now, newbie," an annoying voice chirped from behind. Turning, the three scowled as once again they saw Lila walking by. "Soon enough, I will find an opportunity to win him over, and then you can kiss your hottie good-bye," she smiled sweetly, but it was coated in venom with every word.

Alya was growling while Nino adjusted his cap to prevent from retaliating, and Marinette just sighed in annoyance and continued into class. She didn't know what Lila wished to gain from Anthony, but she would do anything to protect him from that snake, Ladybug or no. She just wished that Lila wouldn't be putting her down in such a way. With each word, she cut into her deeper and deeper, and eventually, she will break. That is what Lila wanted.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, beautiful people! I think this update is about a week later than planned, but finals are finally over and I'm on vacation! As stated last time, I will try to create and post some new stories, just so I'm no longer bored waiting to update a single story. This chapter is more of a filler chapter, but still good in my opinion! I'll need time to think about my next adventure here, so stay tuned!**

***Caution: it may be small, but there is mild suggestive content in this chapter.**

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Chapter 6

The long weekend did indeed go by extremely slowly, especially for Adrien. He assumed school was cancelled Thursday after the akuma attack, and the following email confirmed that, and he had to leave Thursday morning anyways for Milan. He was just happy that he didn't actually miss two days-worth of class, instead it was just one. He still stewed over the conversation he and Marinette had, particularly what wasn't said. She knew immediately when something was bothering him, much like how Ladybug does. He thought he was good at hiding certain emotions, but apparently not if his princess could read him so easily. He thought a lot about his rapidly growing feelings for Marinette, and couldn't bring himself to regret them nor could he diminish them. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wouldn't be so bad to engage in this new romance. There was a problem, however… her boyfriend.

Adrien never truly thought that Marinette was the type to date someone so much older than her, but some people have certain tastes. They were already quite comfortable with each other, and they looked great together too. He hardly felt it as he bit the inside of his cheek. He just _had_ to stop thinking about it. He needed to sort out his feelings for his friend first and then check out that new guy. Was he a criminal? Did he pose any danger to his princess? Do they truly love each other? With the help of his alter ego, he hoped he would find some answers.

The only relief he got was when he opened his eyes and found that he was in the front of the school. He came straight here from the airport, so he still had his suitcase. Thankfully he had the Gorilla; he would put his bag on his bed for him to unpack when he got home later for lunch, unless of course he went to lunch with his friends. Hopefully, he could spend some time with Marinette alone and decipher his feelings for her. It wouldn't be terrible to have a small crush on her, but he was afraid that if he asked her out now that it would ruin their friendship. She confessed last year and moved on, and ever since then he has harbored feelings for her however small and it has steadily gotten worse. Or better, he couldn't tell. If she did, by some miracle, go out with him, there was a chance she wouldn't like him like that, and it could ruin their connection. The worse that could happen was her refusing the offer, that way he could move on faster.

Sighing, he opened his door with a heavy heart and made his way up the stairs. The first bell already rang, so everyone was already in their classes waiting for the second bell to go off. Luckily for him, there was no one in the hallways so he could get to class in a hurry while also not having to worry about running into anyone while he was surely scowling. He almost made it to his homeroom when he heard a loud thump and heavy breathing coming up from behind him. If Adrien knew anything, it was the exhausted panting of his friend and crush, Marinette. He smiled to himself genuinely at her antics as he opened the door and made his way inside, stepping to the side so she had plenty of room to come in past him. As she turned the corner into the doorway, she stumbled into the classroom, most likely expecting a door to be there to help her stop. Adrien almost offered her a hand when she righted herself, giving him a shaky, breathless smile. "Oh, good morning, Adrien!" she greeted jovially despite still panting. His smile widened at how ridiculous and breathtaking she was, despite sweat forming on her forehead causing her bangs to stick together. At least nothing has changed while he was away, and nothing will change this week as long as he was here. Well, at least he hoped so. The only change he will accept is the change in his and Marinette's relationship status. Shaking himself from his reverie, he gave her a flamboyant bow with a wave of his hand.

"Good morning, young miss. I hope you are well after this weekend?" he asked with a false accent. Her responding giggle lightened his tired and heavy heart slightly, and he knew that today was going to be a good day. She wasn't able to respond though, because their friends were giggling at him and his antics. Even Chloe was rolling her eyes at him and his dorky habits. Madame Bustier wasn't in the room yet, which was strange, but the bell was just about to ring, so he gestured Marinette ahead of him as they took their seats.

"So, how was your modeling gig, sunshine?" Alya asked with an entertained smirk.

"It was exhausting, like always while in Milan, but otherwise it was fun. I got a little more time to roam around compared to last time."

"That's great, man!" Nino clasped his shoulder. Just as he was about to say something though, Madame Bustier walked in and started the lecture with a smile.

By lunch, Adrien was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. He has never been able to sleep properly on planes no matter how hard he has tried. He just barely refrained from yawning as Marinette came up to him. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked with mild concern.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Just a little tired is all. It was crazy this weekend despite it being more lax than normal."

"I'm sorry. Would you like to go home to take a nap?"

"Are you kidding? No way. I haven't seen you guys since Wednesday last week, I want to hang out with you guys."

"Great!" Alya cut in while she dragged Nino by his arm their way. She effortlessly linked her arms with Nino instead of holding hands with him, which she normally only does when she's excited for something. "How about we try that new café a couple blocks over? I heard they serve great lunch!"

"Didn't you and Nino go last week when Marinette and I couldn't make it?" Adrien asked suspiciously, causing Marinette to lift a curious brow as well. Their friends blushed, and that tipped him off that they were doing anything _but_ eating lunch. "Nevermind, don't answer that. I don't want to be traumatized." He was smirking and Marinette was giggling again as they passed the lovebirds.

"Whatever, cinnamon bun. Let's go before all the tables are taken!" With that said, she quickly linked her arms with Marinette and began dragging her away, but not before Marinette held out her hand for him to grab accompanied with an unbridled smile. As he wrapped his hand around hers, he swore his whole body warmed up and was rejuvenated as they practically skipped down the road.

Lunch at the café was a light affair; exchanging stories of the weekend, telling horrible jokes (jokes that the boys liked but the girls rolled their eyes at), and plans for the break starting after school Friday. Nino and Alya must've planned ahead of time, because the girls sat next to each other and Adrien sat across from Marinette. He was easily able to simply stare at her the whole time and she didn't suspect a thing. At least, he hoped she didn't. Every time he spent time with Marinette, as either of his egos, he learned many new things about her. Each thing was better than the one before, and so far, he couldn't think of a single hobby or habit that he didn't appreciate about her. Even her little quirks were admirable, and it was making Adrien go crazy because it appeared that his crush was growing stronger. They took their time getting back to the school, seeing how they had another hour left. It was then that Marinette suggested going back to her place so they wouldn't need to wait in front of the school. They said hello to her parents and made their way to her room and played some video games, teasing each other and teaming up randomly. The only way that Marinette was able to lose a battle, apparently, was to team up with Nino. He was so naturally bad that he was counterproductive in most of the battle sequences and, whenever there was a team shootout, he would almost always shoot her too. Everyone laughed while she pouted, but her victorious smile returned as she kept winning round after round against the three of them combined. They only jerked back to the present as Adrien's alarm signaled the time so they could head back to the school and make it on time. Marinette hurriedly gathered her stuff that she scattered across her bed in order to look for specific pencils in her bag, while Alya and Nino were called for her to hurry up. Adrien stayed at the base of her ladder so they could walk together, knowing that their friends' calls to hurry were frazzling her brain. She didn't do well under pressure, she tended to overthink sometimes. Only barely tripping as she made her way down her ladder, they quickly caught up to their friends who deliberately walked slow so they could catch up.

"You guys didn't need to rush me like that, we have plenty of time to make it!" Marinette called.

"Maybe, but with that mindset, you tend to take your time. That's why you're always late, mademoiselle," Alya teased.

"I am NOT always late!" Marinette cried indignantly with flushed cheeks. The two boys were laughing at the girls' antics when they began teasing and arguing with each other until they approached the school. Adrien was surprised that, throughout their lunch break, no one mentioned the mysterious stranger once. He wondered briefly if that day even happened, but then remembered that an akuma attacked that day, so it definitely happened. Maybe he wasn't that big of a deal? Perhaps they broke up or had a falling out this weekend and were fighting. But that couldn't be right either, Marinette was too sweet to keep a grudge like that. Except maybe against Lila, who pretty much has grudges against everyone. He doesn't understand why she was still here, and how she could still be so popular despite everyone knowing she lies all the time.

Adrien sighed as they reached their classroom and took their respective seats, the boys turning to talk to the girls until the second bell. Just as he got comfortable in his seat and turned around, he got a whiff of a strong, overly floral perfume to his left. _Speak of the devil_, he thought as he turned slightly and caught sight of Lila, wearing a low-cut an overbearingly tight top, effectively showing more cleavage than was needed, and a pair of extremely short denim shorts that he was surprised didn't show her underwear. He knew for certain that her outfit, surprisingly, was still in regs for the school policy. She wore a sparkly necklace that was just low enough that if someone were to look at it, they would have no choice but to look at her cleavage. He was sure she caught the eyes of many young men today for it, and he was curious to hear what her reasoning for visiting him was this time. "Hey Lila, what's up?"

"Hello, Adrien," she called in a sultry voice, leaning over Marinette's corner of her desk and obstructing half of Adrien's view of her. "How was your weekend?"

"Just the same as any other modeling weekend; work and briefings. Nothing of importance."

"Not as important as someone like you, huh?" she near whispered, leaning slightly forward so more of her cleavage showed. He tried desperately to keep his eyes trained forward, but his eyes betrayed him by glancing down for only a fraction of a second. He didn't even get a good look, not that he wanted to, but she still noticed it, if her growing smirk was anything to go by. "I heard there was a lot of beach shoots, did you get a lot of sun?"

"I got the decent amount, not too much so I wouldn't tan though. It's no surprise I would take those type of photos in Milan, Lila."

"True, true. Did you see many female models there? Any as attractive as me?"

Adrien knew right then that she was attempting to drag the attention to her, as per usual. However, he wasn't going to fall for her tricks, might as well have some fun with it. "I worked with many female models, actually. They were each very beautiful, as per the requirements for being a model." He tried not to smirk when he noticed his friends attempting to hold back their laughter. The only person who broke was Marinette with an adorable snort. Lila turned a furious glare to her, but Marinette covered up her laughter with a strange sort of cough you would get when you drank too fast. She even had her water bottle in her hands. _Good girl_. "Anyhow, I think the bell is about to go off, so we should all be in our seats." The bell rang just as he finished his statement, and Lila couldn't suppress the indignant huff that escaped her, but she quickly turned another sultry smirk to Adrien before trailing her fingers along his face in a flirtatious manner and waving him off, heading back to her own seat.

When she finally sat back down, the group released their own sighs of relief. "That was a close one. I feared the banshee would never leave," Alya commented dryly.

"I second that. I swear, the longer she tries to gain your affection the more embarrassing she gets. Seriously, how little clothing does she have to wear before she thinks she could hook you in?" Nino asked.

"I'm starting to think she might need to be nude to do that," Marinette teased with lowered lashes. To the outside, she appeared fun-loving and aloof to the fact her nemesis was blatantly messing with Adrien, but inside was a raging storm. How dare Lila attempt to force herself on one of her best friends? Especially in a domain that wasn't even hers. Honestly, how desperate could she get?

"Oh god, I hope not. I really don't want to have nightmares of that sight," Adrien half-forced a shiver that ran through his whole body. His friends immediately laughed at his antics before turning their attention back to the board where their teacher was writing notes. The group paid close attention in each of their classes due to tests at the end of the week. Well, everyone in the group aside from Adrien. He was confident he'd get good grades in his tests, so he allowed his mind to wander to other matters. Most namely, his relationship with Marinette.

Her teasing him earlier caused a blush to rise in his cheeks for two reasons. One, the smirk she gave him when they were talking about the extent to which Lila would go in order to gain his affections, which would never happen. The second reason, which he chastised himself over, was the thought of _her_ being nude instead of Lila.

Adrien chewed the end of his pencil whenever the thought of Marinette in anything less than her underwear would pop an image in his mind. At this rate, he would chew his pencil in half. By the time lunch rolled around, there were obvious teeth marks on the end of his pencil. It was a good thing it wasn't his favorite pencil.

A soft hand touching his shoulder jolted him from his deep thoughts, and he whirled around to come within inches of Marinette's petite nose. "Are you okay, Adrien? You look flushed." As she said this, she shifted his bangs to feel his forehead, most likely to see if he had a fever.

Adrien flinched at her touch, but not in a bad way. Her touch was electrifying and cold, yet it possessed a warmth that couldn't be described. Her gentle movements almost put Adrien in a trance, but sounds from the classroom broke him from his spell. "Oh, no I'm fine. I'm good, great actually!"

"Really? Your pencil is sort of… chewed on."

"Uhm, yeah, there's that… I guess I'm just nervous for tests in a few days."

"That's logical, I think we all are. But don't worry, you have the highest scores in here, you'll be just fine," she soothed with a bright smile. He couldn't help but reciprocate. She always had this way to brighten peoples' spirits, no matter how down they were.

"Thanks, Marinette."

"No problem! Now let's go, Nino and Alya already left us." Adrien looked around and noticed that they have, in fact, left them behind. Mylene, Ivan, Kim and Alix just left, so him and Marinette were the only ones still in the classroom.

"When did they leave?" he asked as he packed his stuff and stood up to leave.

"They were one of the first few out of here, aside from Chloe and Lila. Speaking of, she tried getting your attention again as she left, but you were so spaced out you didn't notice it."

"Thank god, I don't want to see another one of her 'sultry' smiles, they're terrifying."

"It's truly not that bad."

"You've never had it directed at you."

"True, I've only had sneers and smirks of supposed triumph. But the smiles she gives you seems at least somewhat genuine. If it wasn't for the fact that we know she's a pathological liar, I would think she was being honest with you and her feelings."

"Maybe, I mean, it worked on us for a while."

"Not me, I knew from the beginning. You caught on slowly afterwards."

"Yeah yeah, sure. Anyway, where do you think our troublesome friends are?"

"Probably making out somewhere."

"We heard that, missy!" a new voice cut in from behind, and Adrien and Marinette sported twin smirks as they turned to face their friends.

"Oh, hey! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your make-out session," Marinette sassed with false concern.

"Hardihar. I'm sure if you had a handsome hulk of man like Nino, you would take every opportunity to kiss him how you want to. How you shouldn't unless you're away from the public."

Adrien laughed along with his friends at their jest, expecting Marinette to either laugh or refute what they accused. But when he faced her, he was surprised at what he saw. She was blushing. Hard. Her scowl deepened the longer their other friends laughed, but Adrien was frozen in his tracks. _Was she thinking about someone specific? Did she have someone on her mind? Was it that man from last week?_ Adrien almost couldn't suppress his growl at the thought. In his opinion, that man hasn't proven himself worthy of her affections.

After a good minute or so, Marinette seemed to take control of herself again. Clearing her throat, she placed a hand on her hip and began her spiel. "Ha ha, very funny comeback. I wouldn't make out with him in public, period. Maybe a kiss on the cheek or something, but never a full make-out session. That's gross."

"It won't be as gross when you actually do it," Alya winked while Nino shook his head in exasperation and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Whatever. All this talk about making out is putting a damper on my appetite. Let's just leave," Marinette grumbled while she stomped away, making her friends laugh harder. Adrien couldn't help but wonder, what kind of man was he, and what did he do to win her heart? "Adrien, are you coming?"

"Y-yeah! Wait up!"

An hour later, the group was laughing in a cyber-café over a lame joke Adrien said, their empty plates long forgotten. Adrien even forgot about the dilemma about Marinette's possible boyfriend. "So, Marinette," Alya cut in, "where's Anthony?" _I guess I was wrong_, Adrien thought in dejection.

"Oh, he's off with some of his college friends, probably wandering around the inner city," she waved nonchalant. Adrien stilled for a moment, _his name is Anthony? So I wasn't imagining things?_

"Why isn't he here with us?" Nino asked, and Adrien whirled to him. _Nino even knows him?!_

"He wouldn't want to come to a place like this. He doesn't do well with small indoors, especially when it's as quant as this one."

"That sounds like him," Alya commented while holding her chin in thought. "Either way, we should all hang out sometime, Adrien still needs to meet him." He jolted when his name was mentioned but tried to plaster a sincere smile on his face. He truly didn't want to meet her boyfriend, but he would endure it if it meant protecting his crush.

"I guess so, I'll see what nights I have off this week."

"Great! You'll adore Anthony!" Marinette squealed in excitement, her happiness contagious enough to work a real smile on his face. _Looks like Chat Noir is going to pay a visit tonight and scope the situation out._


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, beautiful people! I've been wanting to post this chapter early, but decided against it, knowing that I would spoil you if I did... I apologize! Anyhow, I finished this and the next chapter, so I should post on schedule. I have another story I'm super late on updating, but I don't have any ideas for it. I will try to think of something for both stories as I begin another quarter of school. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think!**

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Chapter 7

It was only Monday, but Marinette already felt like the week was weighing down on her. They were supposed to be studying through Wednesday and half her classes had tests Thursday while the other half was Friday. Essentially, they were to review everything they learned since the beginning of the year, which was a lot compared to the other years.

Once she walked into her room, she face-planted on her chaise, exhaustion taking its toll and causing her eyes to droop while Tikki floated off to her plate of cookies. She was just drifting off to her peaceful slumber when her bedroom door opened with a bang, signaling the arrival of someone in her room. "Guess whooooo?!" a voice chirped cheerily in a higher pitch than normal.

"Anthony, why are you here?" she mumbled into her pillow.

"I'm here to cause trouble, as usual." Not a moment later, Marinette felt him lay on top of the back of her legs, his weight causing a groan to escape her lips. "Wow, you must be in a mood."

"I'm not in a mood, I'm just tired from today."

"Tired? After a single day of prepping for exams? And you call yourself Ladybug."

"Being Ladybug is a lot simpler that studying for tests," she whined while turning her head slightly to breathe better.

"I don't know, some of those akumas looked difficult."

"Some are more complicated and harder to defeat, I'll admit, but Chat and I are able to work as a cohesive team and defeat them."

"Oh? Tell me about this Chat Noir person. Do you liiiike him?" he teased, not quite noticing her blush before she forced it to recede.

"Me? Like Chat Noir?! As if! Sure, I like him as a friend and partner, but nothing romantic," she blabbed. His entertained smirk told her that he didn't quite believe her words.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. But if you don't have a crush on Adrien, what's stopping you from starting something with him? He seems nice and genuine when he talks to Ladybug."

"Please, he's a natural flirt. He's a nice and funny guy, don't get me wrong, but all his flirts and puns feel… flat. Empty. Meaningless," she exaggerated with a face.

"Meaningless? You mean, you don't believe in any of his flirts?"

"Not at all. He's been flirting like that since day one. Anyone else would feel the same way."

"Then… do you think all girls feel put off by puns and stuff?" he asked in a low whisper.

Marinette sat up slowly, easing herself to turn around and face him. She slowly raised a manicured brow at him, urging him to continue. When all he did was look away, she couldn't help but smirk at his expense. "Tony, who have you tried to flirt with?"

"No one," he answered too quickly. She only smirked deeper as she moved closer to him, crossing her legs so she could sit right to his side.

"Anthonyyyyyy, answer meeee," she goaded. He only turned further away and scratched his neck in anxiety. "Was it Tifanny?" His answer was a deep blush that encompassed his entire face and neck. "Oh my god, it is! You've tried flirting with her using puns and pick-up lines, just like Chat Noir!"

"No, no I haven't."

"Yes, I know you have because you're a terrible liar. So, tell me, how did she react each time."

"Well… not that _I_ have used them, but whenever someone used cheesy pick-ups lines on her, most of the time she would look at them like they were crazy. But sometimes she would blush."

"She did, did she?" Marinette asked knowingly. "Well then, what sort of comments made her blush?"

"Talking about her hobbies or articles. If someone flirted in relation to her article, she would get flustered because she would know they read it."

"Okay… Well, normally girls would get a little flustered when their work is praised, so that's pretty normal."

"I guess so," he replied glumly.

Marinette noticed his negative turn in mood and smiled consolingly at him. "Hey, it's no big deal. Listen, I'm not too sure what Tifanny feels for you, but I'm sure she likes you. She has this glimmer in her eyes whenever she's around you, as far as I've noticed."

"Really?"

"Really. Trust me, I'm sure she feels the same for you."

"Thanks MarBear."

"No problem. Just try to lay off the bad puns and pick-up lines, okay?"

"You're no help," he playfully pushed her back to the seat of the chaise. She released a startled squeak as she fell backwards, almost falling off her furniture. "Serves you right, you brat," he teased again while grabbing her pillow and hitting her head with it.

"Hey! I'm not a brat! I was trying to help you!" she protested while trying to kick him off her chaise, but it wasn't working because he was so much heavier than her.

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks for your speech, pipsqueak."

"I'm not a-"

"Oh hush. I'm leaving now, see ya at dinner."

Marinette was still fuming when he left, and she only calmed down when she heard Tikki giggling from beside her monitor. "You two are too adorable."

"That's what you think, but you still haven't seen his evil side."

"That was his evil side?"

"Nope. He could become a real handful when he's in the right mood."

"I bet. I wouldn't be surprised if it's similar to you when you have your mind set on something."

"Humph, whatever. I'm going to study a bit and then maybe take a nap." True to her word, Marinette got started on her studies after getting a cup of tea and some biscuits to snack on while she worked. Unfortunately, due to her changing in comfortable clothes, having warm tea and food in her stomach, she was more relaxed than normal. After about an hour of studying, thankfully most of her work done, her eyes began to drift. She didn't even realize she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes for a few moments of rest.

A loud thump on her ceiling caused her to jolt, but she still didn't wake up. _It must be part of my dream_, she thought as she relaxed again. Only to be woken up by a sequence of knocks from her trapdoor window. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she mumbled. Yawning, she made her way up her ladder and to her bed so she could open the latch and let whoever it was in. Luckily for her, the only people that could reach her roof was Ladybug, whom she knew wouldn't be out at this late hour, and her quirky cat partner. Opening the latch, she knew she was right in her assumption when she saw a human-sized cat crouched by her lawnchair.

"Good evening, prrrincess. Was I disturbing you?" he greeted with a low voice, almost a purr.

"No, I was working on some homework."

"Really? It looks like you were taking a nap."

"I wasn't-" she stopped when a yawn interrupted her speech, "I wasn't napping, I was working on physics."

"Oh? The last I heard, you thought physics were boring and put you to sleep."

"That's true, but luckily it was my last subject of the evening," she smiled, feeling herself wake up slightly. "What brings you here, Kitty? Weren't you here not too long ago?"

"Last week, and that's a few days too long away from my princess," he whined as he let himself in and dramatically threw himself on her bed. "I couldn't bear to be away from you a minute longer than this, so I just had to check in."

"Well, that's nice of you. Why don't you make yourself comfy, if you haven't done so already."

"I would be more comfortable if I was wrapped in your arms, princess," he cooed with a wink, and she almost blushed before her usual mantra echoed in her head.

"Oh really? Are you saying you can't fall asleep without being rocked to sleep?" she teased with her own smirk, causing his to falter for a moment before his turned almost carnal.

"Ooo, did my princess finally get some claws?"

"Please, I've always had my claws, I just choose my battles with them. For you, they're just for show."

"Enlighten me, what else would you have to show me?" His insinuations caused a real blush to erupt over her face. It was enough to outshine Anthony's from earlier and range closer to a strawberry. "Did I embarrass you, princess? Or can you not handle my heat?" he asked with a smug smirk and a smoldering gaze that made his eyes flutter.

She almost fell for his trap, succumbing to his charms and letting him get away with it, when her Ladybug side kicked in and assumed her role as his equal. _There's no way I'll let him win this battle of wills_. "Neither, actually," she answered while placing a hand on her hip. "You took me off guard, I'll admit, but you didn't embarrass me. In fact, I like playing with fire, I feel like I do so on a regular basis. But if you want me to show you something," she led on while she leaned forward, purposefully fluttering her lashes to lure him in. She knew she got his attention when his eyes slightly widened and dilated, his ears perked up and his tail straightened. As Marinette leaned closer to him, almost close enough to kiss him, she noticed his tail begin to wiggle wildly behind him in excitement. _I've got him right where I want him._ She was only a hairs distance away from his lips, noticing that he already closed his eyes, when she redirected her target to his ear. "I have some physics questions I'd like you to help me with," she whispered and practically sprinted back down to her main area, silently giggling to herself as she plopped down in her chair. It took another minute for Chat to even move from his position on her bed, and when he did, he sent her a playful, disapproving scowl that sent her quiet giggles into an obnoxious laughter. She closed her eyes and started to cry because of how hard she was laughing, but she didn't care.

Neither did Chat Noir. In fact, he felt somewhat proud that he could make his princess laugh so hard, even if it was at his expense. He continued to sit on her bed, waiting for her to calm down before he made his way to her, but as she clutched her sides and leaned forward, he knew she wouldn't calm down for a long while. Sighing, he jumped down to her main area and crept his way to her, feigning malevolence. "That was a dirty trick you played, princess."

"It was… fair… it's payback… for what you did," she gasped out between fits of laughter, only laughing harder after each phrase. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, tapping his foot in response to her lengthy laughter. Unfortunately, his new pose only made her laugh harder when she noticed his tail whipping behind him, and she fell out of her chair from laughing so hard.

"Princess! Are you okay?!"

"I'm just… j-just fine, Chat." She took a deep breath to calm herself, still releasing a few giggles, but she was able to control it for the most part. "Now, about those physics…"

"I don't know, you were just laughing up a storm at my expense. I don't think someone like you deserves my help," he shrugged while turning away from her dramatically.

"Someone like me? But I'm your princess," she stated in a joking tone, obviously not believing that he would just leave her.

"You might be a princess, but you aren't mine," he responded in a low tone, yet with a smile big enough for her to think he was joking around. But as he said the words, he knew his expression darkened. Thinking about the older man from earlier, _Anthony_, really made his hackles raise and his tail twitch wildly behind him. Thankfully, Marinette saw his reaction as playful and continued the charade, oblivious to how angry he really was.

"Oh, so what will you do, Kitty? Will you leave me behind to fend for myself?"

"Purrrhaps, maybe that will teach you a lesson," he joked while making his way to her trapdoor once more. He heard her appalled gasp, wondering if she meant for him to hear, as he jumped up to the second floor. The ladder wasn't necessary, and jumping instead of climbing perhaps added urgency for her to make a move. He was rewarded another moment later as he opened her window a few centimeters when she stood from her chair so abruptly that it hit the wall. Chat smirked as he slowed his pace, allowing her to catch up to him before he could completely leave her room.

"No! Chat, please don't go!"

"What's stopping me?" he teased.

"Me… I'm your princess."

"I thought I already said you weren't mine," he raised a brow, still teasing but also curious to see what she would say.

"Well, I'm not anyone's, per say, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only princess you've got," she mumbled into his back, hugging his waist tightly. After he didn't respond, she peeked up at him through her lashes, her face still half obscured. Such a sight caused a bright flush to cover his cheeks before he tried to shrug it off, but Marinette still noticed it. A slow smirk spread over her features, not that Chat noticed. "I am your only princess, right, Kitty?"

"Well, I uhm, I g-guess," he stuttered as he cleared his throat. Marinette's smirk faltered slightly, thoughts running through her mind. _Did he flirt with other girls like me, and call them princess too_, she wondered. She tried to shake the negative emotions that clouded the atmosphere, but it was no good. Once the thought emerged, it was difficult to make it go away. _Of course there's other girls, Ladybug is no longer on his serious romantic scope, it's been that way for over a year now. Why would he choose a normal person like little Marinette?_

Chat, on the other hand, was trying his best to calm his heart, his tail, and preventing his raging hormones from taking over and making it obvious on how she was affecting him._ She'll be the end of me_. He thought of all possible teases he could give her, any excuse to prevent him from staying, but the look she gave him and the sad look in her eyes did it for him._ Wait, sad?_ "I guess I could stay, princess. I have nothing better to do tonight." Despite the delighted squeal she gave and the happy skip in her step as she walked back to her desk, he couldn't forget the receding look in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Following closely behind her, he decided to play along and help her with her homework. He had to keep her from falling asleep a few times, either pinching her leg or making a loud noise. When he helped her finish the last question, he turned to congratulate her on finally completing her assignment but noticed that she was fast asleep. "Princess?" Chat tried poking her cheek to get her to wake up, but it was no use. Even pulling a pigtail was pointless. Sighing, he put her homework and books away himself and went to help her into her bed. _At least she's already in her pajamas, or else things would get awkward._ Once again, he jumped to her second level, only slightly jostling her. She stirred as if she'd wake up, but when her eyes didn't open, he breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to situate her into her bed. He was just tucking her into her blankets when he heard her murmur something. "What was that, princess?"

"What's going on? Did we finish the assignment?"

"Yes, we did princess. You did, you did better as we continued going through the paper, you just needed a little extra coaching is all," he chuckled.

Marinette smiled softly at him, her eyes fluttering in exhaustion, as she laughed lowly with him. "That's good. I honestly feel like I understand it better, thanks to you."

"A teacher is no better than his student. If you weren't so great yourself, I wouldn't have succeeded in teaching you."

She blushed bright pink at his complements, before pouting at him. "Enough of your smooth words, I'm just thankful to you that you helped me finish and comprehend it better. So, thank you."

Chat smiled at her as he knelt down on her bed, gently brushing her bangs aside. "It was no problem, princess. I was happy to help." It was then that he noticed her hair was still up, and he remembered that she liked sleeping with her hair loose, so he went to undo her hair ties. She sent him a questioning look, and he only winked in response. "If I remember correctly, princess, you don't like your hair being up when you sleep. You said it made your scalp hurt when you wake up."

"I can't believe you remembered something so mundane like that."

"Nothing about you is mundane, princess." She smiled softly at him again as she let him finish getting her hair loose, but it quickly turned to a scowl, which he noticed. "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"Princess, you're a terrible liar. Tell me what's wrong."

She bit her lip, contemplating on whether she should speak her mind, when he nudged her again, encouraging her to continue. Taking a deep breath, Marinette gathered her courage and words and prepared to open her heart up, hopefully without tarnishing their friendship. "I just thought about… how you have a silver tongue."

Chat Noir stopped, momentarily stunned with her gentle accusation. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, how your words are always super smooth and flattering. How often do you practice on other girls?"

"What? Other girls?!" he couldn't help but exclaim. His slightly raised voice caused her to flinch, fearful for two reasons: her parents hearing them, and the fact that her words caused such a negative reaction. Taking a deep breath, Chat calmed himself down before questioning her again. "What do you mean, other girls?"

"I-I just, I don't know. I just assumed that you talked this way to a lot of other girls. I can't flirt to save my life, and if I did, so I would need to practice a lot in order to say a single pick-up line. So, as you can flirt with many others, I assumed you got a lot of practice… with other girls."

Her words caused Chat's jaw to drop to her floor, color drain from his face, and his blood to run cold in his veins. _Did she… did she honestly think I was a constant flirt? A playboy?_ The thought itself caused a disgusted shiver to wrack his body. There was no way she could really believe that, could she? _That's not good._ He looked at her once more, trying to gauge her reaction, but she was avoiding his gaze. It seemed she was too embarrassed to face him, so she was serious in her assumption. He didn't like the aura she was exuding, and the atmosphere felt stuffy and anxious. He felt anxious. His heart was beating furiously in his chest, and his ears were twitching like mad on the top of his head. It was no use to shake his head, the thoughts and fears wouldn't leave, so he did the only thing he thought was right.

"I'm sorry, princess, but I have to leave."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, beautiful people! I'm sooo sorry I took so long to post! I hit a bit of a block these last couple weeks. If I posted on time, it would've been a short chapter and I didn't want to do that. It has been a crazy couple weeks, and I finally finished my many homework assignments last night. Before we continue, I would like to say... Unfortunately, it seems this story is coming to a close... I KNOW! It doesn't seem like it, but it's true. I think I only have a few chapters left as far as material goes, but I'll just see how writing goes the next couple months. Without further ado, I'll let all of you read my story. Enjoy, and stay tuned!**

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Chapter 8

"I'm sorry, princess, but I have to leave." Those were the last words Marinette heard before everything went still and silent. She watched through another perspective, almost like a spector, as Chat Noir let himself out of her room through the trapdoor and somewhere in Paris. It was several moments that she sat there, motionless, wondering if tonight really happened or if it was some strange nightmare. Her mouth was still open, eyes wide in panic and confusion. It wasn't until Tikki floated over to her that she seemed to go back into her own body.

"Marinette? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, no, I don't know. Tikki, what happened?"

"You mean with Chat Noir?"

"So that really did happen?"

"Yes, it did."

"Well… what _did_ happen?"

"It seemed you indirectly asked him if he was a ladies' man, so to speak." Tikki's words caused Marinette's mind to whir into overdrive, everything blurring and turning white as she silently panicked.

_How could I be so stupid?! I was having a pleasant evening with him, why would I destroy it with my random thoughts? My feelings didn't truly matter, so why did I open my big mouth and hurt his feelings?_ She didn't realize that she was curling herself into a tight ball on her bed until she felt Tikki rest on her shoulder, providing a healing warmth and comfort. "Tikki, what do I do?"

"Just apologize to him and explain what was going through your mind."

"When will I be able to apologize? What if he doesn't want to see Marinette again?"

"Then you might have to seek him out."

Her confident words relaxed Marinette a bit. _That sounds like a good, but unstable, plan. If he doesn't come over in a few days, I'll go out and try to find him myself. I'm Ladybug, after all._ After the soothing mantra repeated itself a few times in her mind, Marinette calmed herself down and laid back down under her covers, thankful that Tikki was considerate enough to turn of her light before she went to bed. "Thanks, Tikki. I'll apologize as soon as I run into him."

"I would hope so, that poor boy looked upset." He didn't only look upset, he looked downright angry! Marinette shivered when she remembered how his face soured into a deep scowl and his ears twitched atop his head. If she didn't know him as well as she did, it appeared that he would've destroyed something… maybe without even using his cataclysm. No matter, Marinette just hoped she ran into him soon so she could apologize. Before she knew it, her eyes drifted close and she finally succumbed to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

So many thoughts were racing around in his mind, he couldn't differentiate which was for what. But one topic in particular stood out above the rest: did Marinette truly think so low of him? He didn't even realize he made it home and detransformed, mindlessly making his way to his bed as Plagg flew over to grab some cheese. Adrien was even too mentally exhausted to change into his pajamas. Thinking that Marinette believed him to be some sort of womanizer caused a heavy rock to settle in his stomach. Never has he thought this his playful flirts or sideways comments would make others believe he was that way with everyone. _Did everyone see Chat Noir like that?_

The sound of obnoxious chewing flowed to his ears, causing his thoughts to drift a bit, thankfully. "Hey, loverboy, mind sharing why you almost cataclysmed Le Mur des Je t'aime* on our way back home?" Plagg asked, feigning ignorance.

Adrien wanted to roll his eyes and pull at his hair, but he was too tired to do much except answer Plagg in as few words as possible. "I don't know, I think I was just irritated."

"At the wall or at what it represents?"

His friend's accusation caused him to cringe, knowing that he was caught, whether or not he meant it. "Perhaps both. I needed somewhere to vent, and that was the first thing I came across that truly angered me. Thank goodness I came to my senses before I acted upon my wish," Adrien tried to joke, only gulping in response to the intense glare Plagg sent his way.

"Vent? Vent?! Chat Noir can't use his powers to vent, especially when it involves personal problems. This power was given to you because both the Guardian and myself saw your potential, we knew you would be able to help the people of Paris without prejudice. If you use your powers for your own personal gain, you are no better than Hawkmoth!"

Plagg's rant caused Adrien's eyes to widen in shock and apprehensiveness. He's never seen Plagg this angry, he wasn't even sure if he's seen Plagg angry, and it wasn't a very pretty sight. It was actually terrifying. Even though his current form was a cat, he still had emmense power in his little body. Adrien couldn't help but nod his head in agreement, "okay. I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

Plagg sent another scrutinizing glare Adrien's way before sighing, setting his cheese down and floating over to his chosen. "Listen. I'm not always so sentimental, but I'm serious about this," he started as he sat himself down in Adrien's lap. "I'm going to tell you a story, and you're going to just listen until I'm done." Adrien could only nod again, urging his little friend to continue.

"Many centuries ago, I had a chosen who was a simple farm boy, not much older than you are now. I chose him the day he received a letter for the draft, he was meant to leave for war for the king of his land. He was a kind lad, one desperate to help his ailing mother and weakened brother and sister. With my help, his calvary unit was the only one to survive against their enemies, and luckily they won the war. He quickly advanced in rank following his knighthood, seeing how he was so kind to the people and helpful to those in need. However, as his rankings increased after captain, he became greedy and wreckless. Over time, he began to consider the safety and well-being of others less and less, eventually just killing others in cold blood, whether they were friend or foe for 'the good of the kingdom.'

"It all turned sour when his beloved wife became worried for him, asking him questions he didn't want to answer. They were friends growing up and eventually married and had many children. But that didn't matter when he got angry with her at her insinuation. He transformed in front of her in his fury, grabbed her by her neck and hoisted her in the air. With a few words of anger, he ended the conversation by using the cataclysm on her. She disintegrated into dust before his eyes."

Adrien truly didn't know how to react to that confession, he knew it took a toll on Plagg, both remembering it and retelling it. The dull light in his eyes made it seem like he was reliving the scene right now, instead of centuries ago. "Did… did he give up being Chat Noir then, after killing her?"

Plagg snorted derisively, almost offended that Adrien asked such a thing before he sobered once more. "One would think. I sensed that he felt remorse immediately after the act, having killed his oldest and best friend and lover, but it didn't last long. The darkness in his heart already consumed him. A few days after the fact, the royal court heard of his violence toward his wife and charged him, planning to arrest him, but he escaped the kingdom with all his weaponry and my ring, leaving his kids and his livelihood behind. As the years passed, he turned more violent and heartless, killing and plundering entire villages by himself using my powers before he created one of the largest band of rogues the neighboring kingdoms have ever known. I couldn't do anything, I was simply a tool to do his bidding while trapped in his ring."

"You couldn't restrict his power?" Adrien asked astonished.

"No. Even though Tikki and I are very powerful, we still can't resist the whims of our chosen. I'm guessing that's what Nooroo is going through right now."

"I know who Tikki is, but who is Nooroo?"

"He is the butterfly miraculous. He's normally calm and reserved, not wanting to harm another living being, but he's easily manipulated. My guess is that he was found and taken by Hawkmoth and used as his prisoner like I was so many years ago."

"That would make sense," Adrien lamely mumbled, not knowing how to respond to a statement like that.

"Anyhow, I was his prisoner for many years until the inevitable happened. The darkness completely consumed his being, and it was weakening his body dramatically. He was the bane of each kingdom's existence, so they created expensive bounties for him. One day, a young man in dark robes sought him out and challenged him to a battle, and my chosen's pride couldn't resist in accepting. After several hours of fighting, he had no strength leftover, and eventually fell at the hand of his foe. But before he could take his final breath, the stranger removed his hood and revealed his identity as my chosen's youngest son. When he left, the son was no older than seven years old, and he was weak and fearful. It seems the dishonor his father thrust upon them strengthened his resolve, and he took matters in his own hands. And despite all the wrongdoings his father committed, he felt it right to bury his body honorably after his death."

"Wow, he sounds like an incredible man."

"He was, and I will always be in his debt, even after death. I was thankful for him, truly, because what I didn't know at the time, was that he was the most recent chosen of the Ladybug miraculous."

Adrien was stunned speechless. His mouth opened and shut many times, wanting to ask something, anything, but nothing came out. He even made a few strangled noises, causing Plagg to look at him before sending him an enduring smile, showcasing one of his sharp fangs. "Wha-"

"That's right kid, my sweet tooth ironically chose his own son to bring his downfall. But because he was the Ladybug of the time, when he defeated his father, he also cleansed his soul. Before I was freed from my dark prison, a bright white light encompassed me, and I saw the same boy that I chose so many years prior. Not his form that he died in, but the pure and innocent young man that saw the world with so much light and hope, the person that only wanted to help others and make the world a better place. I watched as he walked off into the light and, when I came to, his son was looking down at me in concern, and he had the same eyes as my chosen. That's when I knew that Tikki made the right decision."

"Wow, that's intense," Adrien admired.

"Indeed it was. Ever since then, I've been extremely picky with my chosens, and since then Tikki has always had a chosen at the same time as myself. But there is one thing I always was curious about, but Tikki never explained in detail to me… His son, he never used his miraculous' powers to fight his father, and he rarely used them when he fought for the kingdom in the years following. In fact, he returned both miraculouses long before the end of his life, just to ensure no one else would abuse their powers." A few minutes of silence followed after Plagg's quiet admission, before he turned kind but stern eyes back to his chosen. "I told you this story so you would learn something. So, what was it?"

Taken off guard, Adrien sputtered for a moment, before the words starting spewing from his mouth. "Emotions without a firm hold can lead to irrevocable damages, and one bad decision leads to more?" The end of his answer was more of a question, but he hoped Plagg would accept it.

A moment of tense silence ensued until Plagg sighed, and Adrien wasn't sure if it was in dejection or relief. "That's part of it kid. You need to learn that emotions without a leash can lead to terrible consequences, but you also need to understand that it's not just emotions that could lead to your downfall, it's using your powers for them. If you were to, how you say, 'vent' using your powers, you are no better than my late chosen. If you use your powers while in an emotional state, whether for good or bad intentions, it will cause a darkness to develop in your soul, and it will only continue to grow as you continue to wield them, until either Ladybug purifies you or your death comes to you."

Adrien gulped heavily, not expecting such an intense topic to appear at such a late hour. Finally, he understood the rage that consumed his little friend earlier, and he couldn't blame him. Now he felt bad for his outburst, but was glad he didn't follow through with the act. "I understand. Thank you, Plagg, for teaching me this lesson. I know how difficult sharing such a story must've been for you," he sympathized as he reached a hand forward to caress his friend. When Plagg turned away with a light-hearted huff, he stalled his hand from advancing.

"Meh, not really. It's history, and history contains lessons for people of the modern age to learn. I'm simply just teaching you so history won't repeat itself." Even with Plagg's words, he knew that his friend was just trying to save face, and he admired that. He had a feeling that Plagg was still hurting from a past chosen, so he wanted to comfort him as best as he could.

Reaching forward, Adrien scooped up his friend, who offered little resistence, and pulled him to his chest, allowing him to get comfortable in the crook of his neck. "Thank you. I hope you realize how much your story and your concern mean to me, how much _you_ mean to me."

"I do, and it's sickening." His blasé joke caused Adrien to chuckle, before he pulled his blankets up and got comfortable himself.

"Good night, Plagg."

"Good night, kid."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Marinette couldn't sleep, she was too riled up. All night long. Chat's expression kept replaying in her mind every time she thought she would be able to fall asleep. She would close her eyes and barely sleep ten minutes before she would wake back up. Marinette tried to drink tea, read, even design, but none of it worked to calm her down. So when the sun began to peak over the horizon, she nearly sighed in relief, knowing that school would begin soon. Studying for finals and being around her friends could hopefully distract her enough until she saw him, hopefully later tonight.

By the time she finished getting ready for school, her maman had breakfast ready and there was plenty of time before first period. When she made it downstairs to the kitchen, her maman gave her a surprised look before sending her a gentle smile. "Marinette, sweetie, you're up early."

"Yeah, maman, I decided to get an early start to the day. Finals is coming up soon."

Sabine gave her daughter a thorough search before setting down her spoon and walking over to the counter, leading Marinette to sit on the stool beside her. "It appears you didn't sleep very well, right, sweetie?" Marinette was surprised, she truly didn't know how her maman could've figured her out. Sabine simply sent her a knowing smile before rubbing her back. "I'm your mother, sweetheart, I know everything about you."

Marinette's eyes widened slightly in horror, thinking she spoke the truth and possibly knew that she was Ladybug, but then she felt Tikki shaking in laughter in her purse. "Wh- ahum, what do you know, maman?"

"I know when you're tired or something is bothering you, and it appears you are dealing with both. I have a feeling whatever is bothering you kept you up last night. Honey, what's wrong?"

Marinette decided it was best to confess, but only tell the basics. "One of my friends was talking to me last night, and I accidentally said something that might've hurt his feelings, so now he won't talk to me. What should I do?"

"Just find him and apologize, I'm sure he'll forgive you," she advised before turning back to her bowl on the stove.

Nodding slightly, with a hint of disappointment, Marinette bid farewell to her parents before walking to school, taking her time for a change. "Tikki, do you think he'll forgive me?"

"I'm sure he will, he's a considerate chosen. Besides, he knows you enough to know that you didn't mean what you said, you just said the wrong things and didn't know how to fix it at the time."

"You're right! I hope I run into him tonight so I can apologize!"

With a new spring in her step, Marinette made it to school with plenty of time to talk to her friends and review her studies from the night before. Despite having very little sleep in her system, she couldn't help but be in a good mood. Everyone was smiling even though the stress from their finals are coming up. Adrien came to classes late, saying that he had a modeling gig really early in the morning and that was why he was tired, but it was almost like he was avoiding her. _Nonsense_, Marinette thought to herself. _There's no reason why Adrien would be mad at me, I haven't said or did anything wrong to him. Maybe he's just tired and stressed. All of us are, and if he's still modeling this week, then he must be extra tired._ Marinette was lost in her thoughts and didn't see where she was going before she bumped into a wall. _Not a wall, Adrien's strong back_. "Adrien! Hi! How are you!" she blabbed, feeling her face flame as an awkward smile broke through.

Not expecting the weight to hit his back, Adrien was surpised he didn't stumble forward. He hardly got any sleep the night before because of his racing thoughts, and he was practically a zombie the entire morning. When people asked, he would tell them he had an early modeling session. He was fully prepared to give the same spiel when he heard the soft voice ramble behind him. A cold shiver ran down his spine, while his face heated up knowing she was so close to him. Taking a deep breath, he schooled his features and turned around, placing a soft smile on his face, hoping that he could get away with it. "Hey, Marinette. I'm just peachy, and you?" As she looked up at him, he noticed that she, too, had bags under her eyes. Both tried to cover the evidence with makeup, but unlike her, he knew why she had bags under her eyes. He was paralized, not quite knowing how to feel. His entire being screamed to comfort her and apologize, but some part of his head said that he had nothing to apologize for. She was the one who hurt his feelings, he just left before things could get worse.

Her melodic voice brought him back to the current, "I'm fine, just a little tired. I was up late studying last night."

_Liar, you were sleeping half the time_, the Chat side of Adrien whispered, causing a smile to quirk the one side of his lips before he could stop himself. "That's good, do you feel prepared for finals on Thursday?"

"I hope so, one of my friends helped me understand a calculus a little better," she answered with an easy smile, before it turned to a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" he feigned curiousity but displayed genuine concern for his friend.

"I said some wrong things to him, and he took it the wrong way. I wasn't able to correct myself or apologize before he left, and I'm afraid he won't want to see me."

She was lost in her thoughts, concerned about her feline friend, that she didn't notice the blush erupt on his cheeks or hear him clear his throat awkwardly. "T-that sounds… nice. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"I hope so. He means so much to me, I can't loose him to a misunderstanding." This time, he was utterly speechless and his entire face was the color of his partner's suit. He gulped, trying to regain his composure so he could answer her, when Alya called for Marinette. "Well, that's my queue to leave. I'll see you later, Adrien! Get some rest!" Before he could answer, his crush ran to the courtyard and left with the rest of the girls to who-knows-where. Seeing her walk away from him with a smile on her face, it made him feel… empty, like his heart was ripped from his chest and she took it with her as she left the campus grounds.

A tug on his shirt caused him to begin walking to his waiting car, which would take him back to his mansion. Plagg continued to peek up at him through his shirt during the whole ride home, and Adrien tried to reassure his small friend with gentle smiles, but he wasn't sure it was working on his wise friend. When they got home, he immediately went to his room knowing that Plagg would want to talk to him. Once his door was closed, he knew he was right.

"So? What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Knowing your princess, she's most likely going to go looking for you tonight if you don't show up."

"I doubt it. It's supposed to start getting cold tonight, and it'll get worse through the week, and we both know how much she doesn't like the cold."

"That's true, that's why I think we should keep an eye out."

"Why is that?"

Plagg wasn't going to admit that he knew that Marinette was Ladybug, and if she was anything like Tikki's previous chosens, she was going to wander around Paris until she either found Chat Noir or found some clue as to where he was. "Trust me, my gut is screaming that she might go looking for trouble."

Adrien snorted, knowing that he was right. Trust Marinette to go around stirring up mischief, perhaps that was why Chat Noir was always so attracted to her. At least, that was one of the many reasons he liked her. "Maybe, I wouldn't put it past her. I'll see about it."

"Let's just hope that if you don't go tonight, nothing will happen to her."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It has been three days. Today was Thursday, and Marinette has wandered the streets of Paris every night since their argument. With each day that passes, she worries more and more about her friend and what he must think of her. She was lucky to have studied earlier in the week, and she feels like she passed with great marks in her first tests. If she didn't study and have Chat there to help her earlier in the week, she would've certainly failed. It was only when she thought about their discussion before their 'fight' that made her confident when answering the plethera of questions. Now, she desperately wanted for find her feline friend to apologize and thank him for all of his help, and hopefully redeeming their friendship. She couldn't afford to lose him. It was true, he would still have her alias as Ladybug, but it wasn't the same. She was closer to him as Marinette, in her opinion, and she didn't want to lose such a close friend.

She was walking along the Sienne, observing the calming rhythym of the flow and listening to the soft murmurs of the river, when she heard a scuffle behind her. When she subtly looked behind herself, she saw the tall form of someone duck into an alleyway. It appeared to be a man in dark clothes, but she didn't want to assume much. It was already past midnight and far past her curfew, and she was also looking for her closest male friend for over three hours. _It's time to go home before something bad happens._ Just as the thought ran through her head, she heard a louder noise behind her and she increased her pace to a near-jog across the bridge going back to her house.

She already passed the housing districts, and now she was passing the stores and restaurants that have been closed for a couple hours now. If anything were to happen to her, no one would be there to know and save her. _You're Ladybug, for Pete's sake. Just run down an alley and transform, no one would bat an eye._ With that in mind, Marinette quickly made her way to an alley and looked around, making sure no one was around so she could transform. Right when she opened her purse, however, someone grabbed around her waist from behind, placing their other hand over her mouth.

Marinette was currently trapped, with her arms pinned to her sides and her mouth covered, and it didn't help that her feet were dangling below her. She was incompacitated, not being able hit his gut or stomp on his toes, and calling for help was out of the question. Tikki was jostling around in her purse, sensing her chosen's distress, but she was also unable to show herself. She felt tears form in her eyes at her helplessness, knowing that she was Ladybug but unable to do anything as Marinette against her attacker. She just hoped that someone, anyone, would come by and help her before it was too late.

* * *

*(Le Mur des Je t'aime, Wall of Love, is a symbol of love with 'I love you' written in 250 languages and contains red specks on tiles to resemble broken heart of humanity that wall tries to repair, on a square Place des Abbesses)


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, beautiful people! I'm sorry I'm a couple days late, this week has been killing me. It might be a few hours late, but I had every intention to update this chapter on Valentine's! However, it's late even then... Sorry! Anyhow, I loved reading this chapter for editing. Also, I started a new fanfic, one of several, but it's my first ever crossover. It might be a stretch, but I decided to try my hand at a MHA and MLB crossover. It isn't even close to being done, but hopefully I could eventually post it! Without further ado, please enjoy my latest chapter!**

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Chapter 9

Whoever was behind her was super strong. He effortlessly held her high off the ground, too far for her to do much of anything other than swinging her legs like a little girl on a swing. _Come on, Marinette! Channel your inner Ladybug!_ She squirmed around some more, hoping that her weight will somehow make him stumble, but it seemed like he anticipated her efforts. His grip on her seemed to grow impossibly tighter, and her anxiety rose as she sensed his face get closer to her own. _This is my chance!_ She tried leaning forward, away from his approaching face, causing him to lean forward as well. When she felt like he wasn't paying attention, she swung her head back and tried to hit his nose. She nearly groaned in dejection when she missed and hit his forehead instead, which hurt her too, but was satisfied when his grip loosened as she was finally able to elbow him in the stomach. He doubled over with another huff and she took advantage of his weakened state and stomped on his foot, causing him to release her at long last. Kicking in her Ladybug reflex, she whirled around and stepped into a fighting stance, but stopped short when she saw who it was. "You?!"

"I have a name you know," the familiar voice wheezed as he was still doubled over, trying to catch his breath while keeping his weight off his injured foot.

"What the hell are you doing here, Anthony?!"

"You don't need to yell at me, the night is dead and no one is around."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, pipsqueak. As I said, no one is around. That doesn't mean malevolent shadows aren't looking everywhere," he mumbled while he finally relaxed and placed his hands on his knees.

"Wow, way to be poetic," she teased sarcastically.

"This isn't a time to be joking, Marinette!" he yelled, finally looking up at Marinette, and the look made her gulp. She has only ever seen her brother mad a handful of times, and each time was when they were much younger and it was over simple things. This time, however, she knew she was in trouble. "I was seriously worried about you. What if it wasn't me behind you?"

"I could've changed into Ladybug."

"I was restricting your movement and covering your mouth, you were helpless against me."

"I got out eventually, so everything is fine-"

"It's not fine! Nothing about this is fine! Here you are, a beautiful, young, defenseless woman-"

"I'm not-"

"-wandering around the darkened streets of Paris doing who-knows-what, ALONE might I add, and for what? If you were cornered by someone bigger and stronger than me, you wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, it doesn't matter that you're secretly Ladybug," he began by yelling but hissed out his last sentence.

Before Marinette could respond to his words, movement on her hip caused her to peer down. "He's right, Marinette. You might be Ladybug, but if you aren't transformed, I can't protect you from harm. There would be no way reverse any sort of damage done. If something were to happen to you while I was around, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," Tikki piped in dejectedly.

Her little friend's words struck a cord with her, knowing that she has already lost many chosens due to not being able to help them, so she didn't bother with her retort. She heard Tony sigh angrily beside her, running a hand hastily through his hair. "What the hell were you doing out here anyway?"

Marinette felt her cheeks burn, not in embarrassment, but in guilt. "I was looking for Chat Noir."

"Haven't you been trying to look for him for the last few days?"

"Yes, I was hoping the third time would be the charm," she teased with a withered smile, and his own tense features softened at the obvious pain his sister was feeling. Being protective of his little sister, he walked over to her and engulfed her in one of his famous bear hugs, and she instantly recipricated, trying to hold back tears. "I can't have missed him, Tony, I need to see him soon, or I'll lose my mind."

"Have you tried as Ladybug?"

"What's the point? He doesn't know I'm Ladybug, and I would surely break down in front of him if I saw him as Ladybug before Marinette," she mumbled into his firm chest.

"I get it. Well, it doesn't appear like you found him tonight, and it's late, let's get you home. You have more tests tomorrow."

"Sure," she muffled after she sniffed. He kissed her forehead consolingly before he took her by the hand and began their journey home. They walked in silence for several minutes, appreciative for each other's presence, before Marinette spoke again. "I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to scare you back there. I just-"

"No need to explain anything to me, I know how you feel. But perhaps looking for him this late at night isn't such a great idea."

"But that's when he's mostly out, how else will I find him?"

"Not sure, he would most likely come to you, did you ever think of that?" At Marinette's silence, he shook his head in humor. "Of course not."

"I did, but I highly doubt he would. He's mad at me, remember? I'm sure he would avoid my balcony at all costs."

"That may be true. Well then, I'm sure everything will sort itself out. Didn't you say he was the same age as you? Maybe he has tests too, just give him until the weekend to sort things out." Marinette honestly didn't think of that being a possibility either, and this time, her cheeks did flame in embarrassment.

After another few moments, Marinette finally cracked a smile at her big brother's back, appreciating his presence once more and metaphorically embracing his warmth. "Thank you, Anthony."

"Any time, squirt."

"I told you, I'm not a squirt."

"Yeah, sure you aren't." Meanwhile, Tikki was giggling inside Marinette's purse, happy that they finally got past their squabble and were there for each other, like they should be.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chat Noir couldn't believe his eyes. He has been following Marinette at a distance since Tuesday, making sure she was safe each time she was wandering around the streets of Paris. The one time he got distracted with an attempted robbery was when she escaped his scope of vision, and he was frantically looking for her for several moments before he heard a strange scuffle. When he followed his instincts, which were screaming at him to hurry in a certain direction, he stopped abruptly and felt his blood run cold when he noticed a tall man dressed in dark colors holding Marinette from behind, preventing her from any free movement other than swinging her legs. Adrien felt himself growl menacingly, bringing out his baton and ready to strike the perpatrator when Marinette leaned forward and then whipped her head back, effectively hitting the man in the forehead. He watched as Marinette elbowed his stomach and then stomped at his foot, causing him to release her before she crouched in a defensive position. Chat felt a surge of pride well up in his system for his friend and crush, and desperately wanted to dash in and be her knight, when her next words caused the smile to immediately drop from his face. "You?!"

"I have a name you know," the man joked before he wheezed once more at the assumed harsh blow to his stomach. _Serves him right_.

"What the hell are you doing here, Anthony?!" _Anthony? Isn't he the name of her boyfriend? I'm so screwed_. He instantly felt his mood sour once more at the thought of her having a boyfriend, no less a boyfriend who would scare her so badly.

"You don't need to yell at me, the night is dead and no one is around."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, pipsqueak." Chat felt a low growl in his chest at this man's taunting words. "As I said, no one is around. That doesn't mean malevolent shadows aren't looking everywhere."

"Wow, way to be poetic," she teased. Honestly, Chat would've laughed at her teasing words if he wasn't just as worried for her.

"This isn't a time to be joking, Marinette!" the man yelled, and Chat stood dumbfounded when he heard the voice easily echo throughout the alley. _This man has a set of lungs_. It was obvious he was upset with her, but his booming voice obviously scared his princess, and he swore he heard her whimper slightly. "I was seriously worried about you. What if it wasn't me behind you?"

Chat spaced out at the possibilities of what would've happened if Anthony wasn't there. Or if _he _wasn't there. If no one was there to protect her, what would've happened? Each possibility darkened his mind and he shivered as they grew progressively darker. He totally spaced as they shared their conversation in whispers, before Anthony stood closer to Marinette and embraced her in a tight hug, which she instantly reciprocated. The sight sent a pang to his heart, one of jealousy and longing, but at least she was being comforted. They whispered a few more words to each other before he straightened, kissed her forehead, and began to walk off while holding her hand. Adrien wanted desperately to intercept them and take her home instead; offer his own form of comfort with purring which always worked with her before, but thought better of it. _She wouldn't want to see me, especially if she's spending time with her boyfriend now. It's best if I just go home, she's safe with him._

Despite his entire being screaming otherwise, he spared one more longing look at his crush and then scampered off, wondering if he should forget his crush on her altogether.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Marinette and Anthony got home, they had to sneak back up through the fire escape up to Marinette's room. Even though it was late, Marinette had a strange feeling someone was constantly watching her, and she didn't want to transform if she didn't have to. Besides, she hasn't transformed in front of Anthony yet, and for some reason, it seems embarrassing just thinking about it. So here they were, just arriving on her rooftop and about to climb into the escape hatch. "Remember, Anthony, we have to be quiet when we get inside. Maman and papa-"

"Are nosy and concerning parents, I know. I've known them my whole life, Marbear."

"But you've been gone for years, and since you left, they have became worse. So just follow my lead."

"And Marbear…"

"Yeah?"

"No more going out this late when you're not Ladybug. Even then, be super careful," he whispered with concern. Marinette smiled at him, grateful for how caring he was of her, and nodded in acknowledgement.

Ever carefully, Marinette opened her trap door and snuck inside, helping Anthony get in with his much larger body, before shutting the window once more. They were just descending the ladder when she turned back to her elder brother. "Be careful when going back to your room. Maman and papa have ears of a-" Suddenly, Marinette's bedroom light turned on, startling a light squeak out of her and a yelp from Tony. Whirling around, the two found themselves face-to-face with their parents, casually sitting on Marinette's chaise as if waiting for them to get home. Tom was trying to put the least amount of weight possible on her tiny piece of furniture, while Sabine sat without a worry with her hands in her lap and her brow raised. "H-h-hey, maman, papa. What's up?"

"Apparently you two," Sabine responded cooly. "Where were you?"

"On the roof."

"Out," Marinette and Tony responded simultaneausly. The two resisted the urge to look at each other in response, but their wide eyes seemed to send a secret message to Sabine, who knew her two children very well.

"So you two were out, on the roof. Correct?"

"Yes," they repeated at the same time.

"And when was that?"

"W-what do you mean, maman?"

"What your mother means, Marinette," Tom intervened, "is that we checked every centimeter in this house, including your roof, and you two weren't anywhere in sight. So, if you weren't on the roof, where were you when you were 'out?'" he asked with his own quirked brow.

The two began fidgiting, Marinette more than Tony, but both recognizable by their parents. But they waited patiently, hoping their kids would tell them where they were so late at night, especially on a school night where Marinette still had a few tests in the morning. There were several minutes of silence before Marinette caved, but Tony sensed it, and held out a hand to stop her. "Mari, don't."

"What should I do, lie to them?" she whispered back.

"Of course not, but don't make them worry."

"Of course not," she jested using his words. "I'm Ladybug, I won't make them worry." He gave her a look of disbelief, knowing just as much as she does that her secret should cause them more worry, if they knew, that is. "Maman, papa, we were out for a walk."

"A walk? At this hour?" Sabine asked incredulously.

"Yes. I couldn't sleep so I wanted to go for a walk, but Tony caught me. He kept me company, and we got farther than expected. I'm sorry," she bowed in dejection, knowing that she disappointed them in some way.

"Oh honey, no need to feel so down. Is it about that boy?"

Tony and Tom looked shocked, Tony fearing that she discovered Marinette's biggest secret, Tom confused to even hear about a boy problem. "Boy? What boy?" Tom nearly yelled in question, but Sabine was solely focused on her daughter, who lightly shook her head in the affirmative.

"I see. You were looking for him, weren't you?" Another nod. "Honey, what makes you think he would be out at this hour?"

"I don't know, I just… I just hoped he would be," she responded, feeling her eyes sting from suppressed tears.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry," she cooed as she gave her youngest child the warmest hug she could give. The consoling hug did its trick, because the next thing she knew she was crying her heart out, crying all the held back tears from the last few days. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie, just let it all out."

"I thought y-you sa-said not t-to cry," Marinette tried to joke between her sobs, and it brought a low chuckle from the other three in the room.

"Now that it started, it can't be stopped honey."

"No need to cry, pipsqueak, I'm sure you'll find him soon," Tony piped in, joining the hug with Tom following suit.

"I'm so lost right now, but I'd never miss a family hug," Tom jested while lightly lifting his family in the air, squeezing their breathe away for a moment before he put them back down. They all laughed for a short moment until Marinette breathed deeply, calming her frayed nerves.

"Okay, I think I'm better now. It's late, I think we should all get to bed." Right as she suggested it, she released a large yawn, causing her family to laugh at her lovingly.

"Says the one who snuck out."

"As far as I'm concerned, young man, you snuck out too," Tom stated pointedly.

"But I'm an adult!"

"But you still live under our roof, son. Anyhow, I agree with Marinette. We all have to be up early, let's get some shut eye."

"You guys might be tired, but I'm no-ot," Tony began but got cut off by his own yawn, and Marinette's laughter caused a blush to bloom all over his face. In his embarrassment, he lightly pushed her over, and she shrieked in protest. "Serves you right, shortie."

The two began bickering with each other, completely missing the amused looks their parents were giving them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Marinette ended up not being able to go to sleep immediately, so she did what she used to do when she was a kid: go to her over-protective, big brother's room. People might think it was naïve to do so, especially at her age, but she hasn't seen him in a long time and they were always supposed to be there for each other. Even his presence was good enough for her, so she snuck into his room around two in the morning and took the spot on the couch inside. Just like her, he tended to sprawl out in his bed when he slept, unless he was sharing his bed with someone. It was a weird thing, to be honest, but that's just how they were. She blamed Tony for all of her weird habits.

A blaring alarm jolted her awake, but she was so sore from being on the couch all night that she hardly had the energy to turn it off, but when she did, she rolled back over and fell back asleep. Her alarm was set for seven am, her classes didn't start until eight, so she had plenty of time. It was short lived, however, because someone was shaking her viciously. "Wha-wha-what, I'm up I'm up. Just, leave me…" she heard herself mumble before trying to go back to sleep. Whoever was shaking her sighed deeply in annoyance and shook her harder, finally just tossing her on the floor and ripping the blankets off her. Marinette shrieked in protest, before finally looking at the culprit, seeing a smirking Anthony towering over her. "What do you want, you-you beanpole?!"

"Beanpole? Really? You're the little bug who snuck into my room last night. Do you know what time it is?"

"Just past seven."

"No, it's just past eight."

"WHAT?!" With another shriek, Marinette quickly ran to her room, changed into a simple pair of black leggings and a light blue sweater, threw on her black flats, and ran out the door, hoping she had everything to face the day. Tikki barely made it into her purse in her rush, but her little friend was there. She ran with all her might to the school, despite it only being across a couple streets, hoping that she wouldn't get run over.

To her luck, she made it to the school at 8:06 exactly, bursting through the door with a loud bang, startling everyone in the room. "I'm here!" she shouted, and the quiet that followed caused an overbearing blush to engulf her pale skin. Ducking her head, she practically ran to her seat, sending a scowl at a snickering Chloe and Sabrina, before sitting down next to Alya with a deep sigh.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, for showing up. Now, let's continue with the lesson, shall we?"

Alya casually leaned over to Marinette, hoping to talk to her before they had to get started on their exams. "Girl, what made you so late?"

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I slept on the couch in Tony's room." Because her head was face-down on her desk, she missed the flinch from Adrien, which made Nino look to him in concern.

"And let me guess, you slept past your alarm."

"Righto."

"Dang girl, you've got some record. But it's a good thing you came when you did, we'll be starting soon. Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, thank goodness. It's just in my bag." Marinette reached over to grab her assignments from her folder, but stilled when she didn't see it. "What?" she used a little more force than necessary trying to see if it was among her books, but didn't see it the second and third time she looked. She finally picked up her bag and viciously tore through it, trying to find her folder, but still came up empty.

"Marinette? Is everything alright?" Madame Bustier asked her with concern.

"U-uhm," Marinette began, looking frantically to an equally scared Alya before turning back. "A-a-actually, Madame Bustier, I forgot my homework at home," she confessed with a dejected tone. Her teacher gave her an understanding smile, but Marinette could tell that it wasn't a plausible excuse. She near scowled when she heard Lila's annoying, tinkling laugh at the back of the classroom.

"Well I'm sorry, Marinette, but it needs to be turned in-" a knock at her door interrupted her. A second later it opened, revealing a bright-eyed Anthony. "Hello, may I help you?"

"Actually, yes. I'm looking for- ah, there you are!" he exclaimed as he let himself in, bypassing a stunned Madame Bustier. "You forgot your homework in my room when you worked on it the other night, nerd."

"Thank you so much Anthony!" She felt like kissing him, but didn't want to cause a scene.

He must've read her thoughts somehow, because he gave her a teasing smirk which made her blush and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "You can thank me later, just finish your tests." Kissing her forehead, he wished her luck and made his way back out, waving in apology to Madame Bustier.

"He sure knows how to make an entrace," Nino piped in.

"And an exit, dayum," Alya commented, making her three friends scowl at her, Nino moreso in a pout.

"Babe-"

"Shush, I can appreciate art."

"Come on, Alya, that's gross," Marinette whispered.

"You can't deny it, you have more chances to see it than me, mademoiselle," Alya winked.

"Gross!" Marinette sneered in disgust, which only made Alya laugh a little louder.

"Settle down, girls, especially you, Alya and Marinette. Now that you have your assignments, I will collect them and then we can get started."

After a moment, the two realized that they weren't the only ones distracted by Anthony, but only one person was less-than enthused at his presence, and it took everything he had not to growl like his alter ego.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, beautiful people! I'm sooo sorry for the late update! I tried to finish this chapter earlier last week but school caught up to me. Finals are coming up, and it's even more hectic because my school decided to close for break a week early due to COVID-19. On a good note, I will supposedly have two weeks of spring break so maybe I might update faster! I'll also try to update a chapter in my other story and upload another, if I get to it. Anyhow, I apologize for the short chapter, but I promise to update the next chapter quickly, and it will be worth it!**

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Chapter 10

The lunch break just started, and Marinette couldn't help the deep stretch she performed, relieved that the tests were over. At least for them. Madame Bustier's class lucked out, and they were able to take their tests over two days so they could finish before lunch today on the last day, while other classes still had a few tests left in the afternoon. Marinette looked up to the sky, thankful that despite the chilly breeze, it was nice and sunny.

"Thank god that torture is over," Alya cut into her thoughts, effectively distracting Marinette from observing some birds flying overhead.

"You said it babe, I suggest we do something fun."

"I suggest something fun… as a group," Adrien ammended with a tight smile. "No one wants to see what 'fun' is to you two."

"You're just jealous man, but alright," Nino agreed with Alya nodding.

"That's right. Besides, I'd rather go to an outdoor café on this beautiful day," Alya mentioned while walking up to Marinette, linking their arms together.

"Rather go to a café than be with moi?" Nino tried joking.

"Absolutely," Alya replied while shooting Marinette a wink, causing her to giggle.

"Ouch, I'm hurt babe. Show your man some love."

"I would, if I could see him anywhere," she joked while dramatically looking around, causing Nino to grasp at his heart.

"Ouch, I'm hurt. Next time, show a little mercy on your boyfriend, geez." This response startled a laugh out of all of them, even Adrien who seemed more tense than usual.

"Alright, let's go!" With that, the group set out to wander around Paris. Because their tests are over, they were dismissed for the rest of the day. They decided to ride the monorail across the city to a newer café for lunch, when Alya turned to Marinette. "Hey, what's Anthony doing today?" They missed the flinch from Adrien.

"I don't think he's doing anything. He no longer has jetlag and he's been hanging around with his friends most days, so he might be free," Marinette considered.

"What are you waiting for then? Invite him out, he still needs to meet Adrien."

"I don't want to bother him if he's busy," Adrien tried consoling, not really enthused to meet his love rival at the moment.

"Nonsense, I doubt he'd be busy. Let's call him up!"

"I'm not even sure if he's awake."

"Why wouldn't he be awake?"

"He likes taking naps, he'll take one whenever possible."

"At noon? Girl, no wonder where you get it," Alya jokingly sneered at her friend in a whisper.

"Oh, shut it. I'll just text him." While she was texting him, Adrien peered over her shoulder to see what his contact name would be. _He was not being nosy, he was just curious_.

**Marinette: Hey, dorkasaurus, are you up?**

His response was almost instant… and Adrien wasn't happy with what his name was saved as.

**Favorite Man 3: Yes I am, Marbear. What's up?**

** Marinette: Did you change your name in my phone again?**

** Favorite Man 3: Why yes, yes I did. After all, I AM your favorite man… right?**

** Marinette: …**

** Favorite Man 3: Mari?**

** Marinette: What are you doing right now?**

** Favorite Man 3: Marinette?! Am I your favorite man? Please tell me I am!**

** Marinette: You would need to be a man first to be considered my favorite, you know…**

A snicker over her shoulder caused her to look up in alarm, only to relax when she noticed it was Alya. "Girl, you are ruthless."

"Someone has to temper down his ego."

"Of course, and despite your sweet demeanor, you sure do have a sharp tongue."

"That's good, then I could cut him down to size," she sassed in return before turning her attention back to her phone, causing Alya to laugh again.

**Favorite Man 3: Babe, you wound me. Why do you hurt me so?**

** Marinette: To cut you down to size.**

** Favorite Man 3: You still have quite the ways to go, shortie, I'm still quite a bit taller than you.**

** Marinette: But still not a man. You never corrected me on that.**

** Favorite Man 3: Hardyhar. Would you believe me if I said I was a god?**

** Marinette: Nope.**

Marinette released her own snicker with how quick she responded to that last text, knowing that he had to be pouting on the other end.

**Favorite Man 3: You're mean. You're a bully.**

** Marinette: Whatever. Again, what are you doing?**

** Favorite Man 3: Stalking you so I can kick your ass.**

** Marinette: Rude, and I highly doubt you'd be able to.**

** Favorite Man 3: I'll like to make a bet on that. No weapons, just wrestling.**

** Marinette: Deal! Let's wrestle tonight, bet I'll win!**

** Favorite Man 3: It's a date!**

If Marinette wasn't rolling her eyes and snickering at their banter, she would have noticed Adrien's scowl and barely suppressed growl. His Chat Noir was coming out, and he didn't like the feeling that was settling in his system. It felt heavy and hot, almost like molten lava was building in his belly and working its way up.

If it wasn't for Marinette's cute giggle, he was sure he would've tried to hit something. She soothed him and his anger, despite doing so unknowingly. He hated the fact that she was taken, but thankful that she still wouldn't leave her friends behind for him. He knew of several friendships suffering like that because someone would choose a boyfriend or girlfriend over their friends, so he was glad when Nino and Alya weren't like that and neither is Marinette.

The girl in question let out an adorable squeal before turning towards him and Nino, who stood behind them. "Anthony said he'd be able to come! He'll probably get there within a few minutes before us, actually."

"Is he going to reserve a table for our party?" Alya asked.

"Yes, he even will try for a window booth."

"Wow, isn't he a sweetheart?" Alya cooed while fanning herself.

"Uhm, I'm right here babe. If such corny acts makes you swoon, maybe he should be your boyfriend," Nino joked with a half-hearted scowl, trying not to smile.

"Really? Don't mind if I do," Alya teased back before trying to reach for Marinette's phone, causing her to squeal again and stretch her phone in front of her, barely outside of reach.

"What?! Babe, don't do this to me, I can be corny too!" Nino wailed dramatically before throwing himself at her, encompassing her in a tight hug from behind. "Don't leave me!"

"Okay okay, fine! Just stop being a baby!" she complained as he kept whining at her and hugging her, making them spiral into their own little world once again. Adrien dreaded this moment, because either him and Marinette will remain in awkward silence or talk with each other, and it would be awkward for him that way too.

After a long moment of watching their friends, Marinette turned towards Adrien with her megawatt smile, causing her eyes to squint slightly and her dimples to show ever so slightly. "What a couple of weirdos," she giggled at their friends.

"I agree, they have no shame," he tried to joke casually, but he felt like the smile on his face was a little too wide to be genuine.

"That's true, but they're really cute together," she murmured almost in lament.

Adrien caught onto her sadness, and felt his concern grow. "Marinette?" She hummed while turning towards him, her eyes glimmering slightly in suppressed sadness. He still noticed it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered a little too quickly, turning away from him.

"Are… are you happy?" he ended up whispering to her. His question caught her off guard, and as she turned back to him, he felt himself gasp at the look in her eyes. There was so much pain in them, and he felt hopeless because he didn't know the cause. _Was it Anthony? I swear, if it was Anthony, I'm going to… going to… I don't know what I'll do, but he'll regret hurting her._

Adrien returned from his spiraling thoughts at the gentle touch on his arm, noticing Marinette giving him another smile, albeit smaller this time. "I wouldn't say I'm as happy as I can be, but I'll be alright."

_What did she mean, not as happy as she can be? What happened? I need answers._ Just as Adrien opened his mouth to question further, the monorail pulled to a stop at the station just below where the café was supposed to be. Once it stopped, the girls practically ran out, leaving him and Nino behind to practically jog after them. As they reached the top of the stairs, they heard Alya screeching in excitement. "I can't believe we made it! And before the lunch rush too, this is a miracle!"

"What's better, is Anthony waiting at our table," Marinette gasped excitedly beside her. Almost like she summoned him, Anthony turned towards them, waving his arm enthusiastically with a goofy grin on his face. Adrien couldn't stop himself as he rolled his eyes at his antics, and while Nino snickered believing Adrien's action was friendly, it was anything but. Adrien didn't even know this guy, and he was already annoyed with him. But if Anthony made her genuinely happy, then he would have to grin and bear it.

With that in mind, Adrien placed a convincing smile on his face as he prepared to trail his friends across the street, when he heard the thing he dreaded to hear all week. "AKUMA!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, beautiful people! I know y'all are impatient to read the story, so I'll explain myself in a note at the end. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11

Adrien and Marinette were frozen in high alert, trying to see where the akuma would be, yet finding nothing. They both felt their kwamis vibrating in their place, trying to speak to their chosens. They faintly heard people screaming around them, including their friends who were frantically calling their names. Alya was antsy beside her friends, wanting to find the akuma for her blog and yet wanting to ensure her friends were safely hidden. Marinette and Adrien were looking towards the sky, trying to see if it was some sort of flying akuma, but still couldn't see anything. The more they tried in vain to find it, the more their kwamis buzzed in their places.

It wasn't until a new, booming voice called out to the group that they turned their gazes ahead of them, noticing Anthony running towards them with a stern and worried look on his face. "What are you four doing just standing around out here? We need to move, now!" he shouted angrily while getting closer.

Adrien couldn't help but scoff at him, which was out of character for him. "What would you know? We've been exposed-"

"I don't care what you have to say, pretty boy," Anthony cut him off sternly. "We're in danger, and standing around isn't helping. We need cover, and quickly," he announced while roughly grabbing Marinette's wrist and dragging her away. Even though Marinette didn't wince at his hold, she was still shocked with how forceful he was being.

"A-Antho-" she tried calling to him, but the look he sent her way abruptly stopped her words.

"No need to say anything, just-" a boom behind them caused the group to look, making their eyes go wide with horror. "Run!" After finally catching a glimpse of the akuma, the group wished they hadn't. Although the theme seemed entertaining, the powers the akuma held wasn't so pretty. The victim appeared to be an astronaut, practically floating in the air just like how they would in space. They were able to practically turn off the gravity within a certain distance of themselves, making anyone near them helpless without being able to run from them. But it wasn't the antigravity trick that terrified them, it was the black hole-like-portals that piqued their horrified interests. The group could only watch in bewilderment as the akuma threw cars and fragments of buildings into the portals before it disappeared, taking the items along with it.

"Hello, Parisians!" the akuma declared boldly. "I am Trou Noir, creator of black holes and dimensions in space! I will prove that black holes don't cause destruction, but could lead to a new location in space! Then, and only then, will you all believe me!" he stated before creating more portals with a maniacle laughter that sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"Quickly, in here," Anthony whispered as they found a store that was relatively secured for people to hide in until the akuma passes. Anthony knew he needed to separate Marinette from her friends so she could transform into Ladybug, but it would be suspicious if he did it right now. They needed to be calm and rational about this, so sticking together safely is the best bet for now, even if it delays in Ladybug's arrival. He was just biding his time until he could find an opportunity to let her escape safely. Ironic, really, that she needs to escape in a safe manner only to put herself in more danger as the heroine of Paris.

When they made their way behind the counter with some other stragglers, Anthony pulled Marinette close into his lap and held her tightly in an embrace, brotherly instincts kicking in high gear. Nino did the same to Alya, but more so she wouldn't go running outside trailing the akuma for her blog. Adrien looked on in fury, angry that someone else was holding Marinette other than himself. It felt so foreign to see someone holding his friend in such a way, compared to how Nino and Alya was because they grew accustomed to it over the years due to them being an item.

A crash outside the store caught Adrien's attention, causing him to peek around the counter and see if he could see the akuma. A flash of movement caused him to hide behind the counter again, almost getting caught by the akuma as he hovered past the front. Taking a deep breath, Adrien steadied himself so he could adjust into his Chat Noir persona. Paris needed him, one part of the hero duo to save them from the akuma, not jealous Adrien. But the sight of Marinette in Anthony's arms isn't helping anything, especially his concentration. And by the persistant nudges in his pocket, he knew Plagg was either impatient that he hasn't transformed yet or he was trying to keep an angry Chat Noir at bay. "Okay guys, I have a plan," he began, before he was cut off by Anthony.

"The plan is this, you kids will sneak out the back with me and we will all go to our own homes, where we are with our families. That is where we will be safest."

"Safest? Akumas don't care if we are at home, _Anthony_," Adrien sneered uncharacteristically. "You haven't experienced them like we have, and the safest thing to do right now is stand aside and wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to arrive. If everyone were to try to return to their homes, the akuma would have more victims to harass. I agree with you that we should escape through the back, but we need to stay low and find a safer place to hide until this blows over."

"Are you serious? We can't just keep hopping from place to place, hoping we stay safe. Our homes are the safest-"

"Again, what would you know? As far as I'm concerned, you haven't been in Paris for very long, you wouldn't know anything about how to navigate the streets with an akuma running around!"

"Well, I think-"

"Girls, girls you're both pretty, but we seriously need to think of a plan to get out of here," Alya cut in, shifting restlessly in Nino's lap.

"Babe, I really want to believe you're wanting to leave so we could get to safety, but I know you, and I know you just want to film the akuma. So if we are getting out of here, you need to stay with me… _away_ from the akuma." His statement caused her to deflate dramatically, startling a giggle out of Marinette who has been silent the whole time.

"Oh, you think this is funny, missy?" Anthony questioned seriously. "There's an akuma outside destroying your city, the heroes are nowhere in sight, and you have the gall to laugh?"

"I'm laughing at Alya, I'm obviously concerned for my city, but-"

"But nothing young lady, we need to get out of-"

Suddenly a crash was heard from the front of the store again, signifying the arrival of the akuma. "I hear some kiddies in here. Come on out, let's play." Glass began shattering everywhere, some other people who were trapped began screaming and scrambling away from the wreckage. Meanwhile, Anthony grabs Marinette and carries her off princess style, expecting the others to follow him. Once they make it outside, Marinette finally composes herself and breaks away from Anthony.

"Anthony, the plan was to split up, not hide together," Marinette whisper-shouted to Anthony while hitting his arm, causing him to hold the appendage in mock hurt.

"I know, but I worry about everyone, not just you. They're your friends and, as your big brother, I need to protect them too. Even that pest of an- OW!" he stated louder when she hit him again.

"I won't have you talking about Adrien that way. I might not have a crush on him anymore, but he's still one of my closest friends. I don't know what's up with him today, but you have no right to judge him."

"Alright, whatever. Geez, I'm only trying to help everyone get to safety, even if it means you'll have to find an opportunity to escape to, you know…"

"Yeah, just don't talk too loud, you mouth-breather."

"You snore you know," he teased right back.

"I do not-"

"As cute as this is," Alya interrupted with her own smirk. "We all need to find our next hiding place before we're found again."

Marinette hated the look Anthony was giving her, as if he won the impromptu compedition they were having. Even so, she closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath. "Fine, yeah, sure. I think we should split up."

"What?!" Adrien demanded. He couldn't believe she would suggest such a thing.

"I know what you're about to say, but think about it. There's less of a chance of him catching us if we split up."

"She's right, kids," Anthony chirped. "As much as I want us to stay together to ensure we get to a safe location, if splitting up prevents us from being caught, then we should do that."

"Wow, so do you always just agree with Marinette like that?" Adrien cut in with a glare.

"What do you mean?"

"You were so adamant before to stay together, but because Marinette says we should split up, you agree with her? Wow, you must really like her or you're whipped."

"Adrien!" Marinette gasped, appalled at his recent behavior.

"What is with you, are you always such a brat, or is today a special occasion?"

"Anthony!"

"Such a good way to sway the conversation, do you always avoid the topic if you feel uncomfortable?"

"Dude," Nino attempted to intervene, "I think you should-"

"I think Anthony should just take a step back," he claimed, angry and indignant over how he treats Marinette. "Half the time he seems embarrassed about being around her, other times he's overbearing and forceful. I don't see why she likes to be around hi-" A loud 'clap' shut down Adrien's rant. He honestly expected a punch from Anthony, but he didn't expect the strong slap to come from Marinette. His crush, one of his best friends. He took a closer look at her face, noticing the anger across her face and the sadness lurking in the blue depths of her eyes. "Marinette?"

"How dare you say such things about him. He might seem that way to you, but you don't know anything about him. He cares for me, and even if it seems like he's being controlling, he does it because he cares and knows what is best for me."

"Best for you? You make it seem like he's a parent of some sort, or a-" _Husband. I almost said husband_.

"A what? What were you about to say?" she demanded.

"He, uh," he stammered. He was honestly flustered with how close she was to him, but he was also on the receiving end of her wrath. In the years that they've known each other, Adrien has only witnessed her anger a handful of times, and been the cause of it even fewer. _The only way to get out of this is admitting defeat, but not in front of him_… "He's controlling, alright? He pulls you around and tells you what to do. You've never been that kind of girl, Marinette. When did you start to let people pull you around?"

"'That kind of girl?' What is that supposed to mean? How do you know what kind of girl I am, Adrien?"

"I've been your friend for a few years now, I think I know you pretty well." He wasn't going to admit that he knows her really well, being Chat Noir. She's more open with that side of him, which greatly confuses and saddens him.

"Oh really? I seem to doubt that. We might spend a lot of time together as a group, but you seem to pretty much run away whenever there's a chance we would be alone together. What, do I scare you or something? Do you detest me so much that you would rather be alone than with me, 'a good friend?'" she mocked in anger.

Adrien tried to refute her statement, but everything she said was mostly true. Whenever there was a chance they would be alone together, he would try to escape with the excuse of modeling, but not because he detested her. She always seemed to understand, so her outburst made it known that she was hurt each time he 'ran away' from her. "No, that's not-"

"Then what is it?! I only know the Adrien that you show everyone else, there is no other side for me, just what you show to other models and fans alike." _You don't know how wrong you are, princess_, he thought to himself. "Anthony doesn't hide himself from me, he's always open and honest with me."

Tired of hearing her talking about Anthony in such a high regard, Adrien couldn't hold back his anger and decided to hit below the belt. "At least I don't try to control you. He hasn't done anything but control you this whole time, can't you see that he's manipulating you?"

"He's not-"

"Why can't you see that he's only trying to control you? He claims to know what's best for you and forces you to bend to his will, without your consent. Is that what your relationship is? He just tells you what to do and you follow like a lost lamb? I thought you were better than that, Marinette. You're the class president, someone that everyone looks up to. Why do you belittle yourself to someone like _him_? You're not setting a good example to those who look up to you."

"Not setting a good example? Look who's talking! You're getting all bent up because I listen to someone and follow what they suggest, that's what anyone should do, not just a leader or a follower. You keep saying that you know me and you're surprised to see me acting in such a way, but you don't really know me. You must imagine me in a certain way and now you're disappointed that I don't meet your expectations, is that it? Well I'm sorry that I'm not good enough for you, Monsier Perfect Model!" she screamed at him before she stomped her way towards Anthony. It took a long moment for Adrien to realize that her rant made her begin to cry. She was crying because of him. His words upset her so much that she began to cry and went to Anthony for emotional support. As much as it hurt him to see them hugging when she's like that, he knows it's for the best. Anthony seems to know how to comfort her, while he just seems to know how to upset her.

"W-well, do you blame me? You're one of my closest friends, and one of the strongest women I know, so of course I would have higher expectations of you. I feel like he has low expectations for you, seeing how he just tells you what to do."

"You don't even know him! Don't be so quick to judge him, Adrien!"

"Why can't I? How do you know what he feels for you is real? Tell me, Anthony," he demanded while turning his attention to Anthony, who was still hugging Marinette close to him. "What do you feel for Marinette?"

Not even missing a beat, Anthony stated, "I love her."

Those three simple words shattered Adrien and his heart. He honestly wanted Anthony to admit that he wasn't genuine with Marinette; but after that confession he feared he wouldn't be able to win her affections from him, especially after their argument. Just as he was about to try to say something else, Nino shouted 'run' before pulling Alya aside. Luckily, the warning came at the perfect time for everyone to dodge out of the way from a portal being created.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Some kids just wandering about Paris? I'm surprised you stayed so close to the inner city, especially when you should be in school. No matter, I'll help you get to where you belong." With a wave of his gloved hand, a portal appeared in the middle of the group, causing them to split up from each other.

"Everybody, run!" Anthony shouted as he grabbed Marinette's hand and ran through an alley, while Alya and Nino ran down the road and hid behind a car. Due to them going separate ways, Trou Noir was distracted and didn't notice Adrien slip back inside the store that they escaped from. Adrien looked around to ensure he was alone before he opened his jacket and let Plagg out.

"What the hell was that?!" Plagg demanded while flying forward to hit him on his forehead.

"Ow! Plagg, what the-"

"I thought you had a brain in that big head of yours, but it's apparently empty. Why would you say such hurtful things to her?! I thought she was your princess!"

"She, she is, but-"

"But nothing! You don't say such hurtful things to her, even if she wasn't your princess. As your friend, you should treat her with respect, but what you said to her was something worthy of former Chloe. Did you see how you made her cry?!" Adrien looked at Plagg, startled over his outburst. Plagg always seemed to like Marinette best, so he would always tease Adrien whenever the two had a 'moment,' especially if he was visiting as Chat Noir. But seeing him defend her so vehemently caused Adrien to peer at him in surprise. Floating before him, Plagg's fur seemed to be raised just like a normal cat, especially his tail which was fluffed to the extreme and flicking wildly behind him. In any other circumstance, Adrien would've laughed, but this discussion was about how he hurt his friend so much that he made her cry.

"I-I know. I didn't mean to say such hurtful things, they… they just, came out."

"'Just came out,' what is this, grade school?"

"That's not-"

"That's not how Chat Noir should act, I agree. After this, I fully expect you to find her and apologize profusely, or else I'll make you regret your existence for a whole month. In the meantime, think about what you've done to hurt her, and take care of that akuma."

"Akuma, that's right! We don't have time for this Plagg-"

"You'll _make_ time for this! You were the one who created this whole mess you're finding yourself in, so you are responsible for cleaning this up. If she's your friend and you still want her to like you, then you better make up for it, or else you don't deserve her!"

Adrien knew he was right, but he didn't like the prospect of having to face Marinette again. There was a chance that she wouldn't forgive him, she might not even want to speak to him. But he cared too much about her, he even wanted to admit that he loved her. _I love Marinette. Holy shit, I love Marinette._ His realization shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did, but he couldn't help himself. He knew that he had a crush on her, but he thought that's all it was. His crush on her started shortly after she confessed to him over a year ago and it has only grown since then. But this was the first time he has admitted to himself that he loved her. Just the other day he was questioning if his crush on her was real, but now he knew for a fact that he loved her. And he hurt her. He didn't deserve her affections or her forgiveness, but he would beg her if he had to. He would get down on his knees if she wanted. Either way, he knew that he had to take care of the akuma and then immediately rush to her side and talk to her.

"Alright, I promise. After this, I'll find her and beg for her forgiveness."

"That's the spirit, kid," Plagg commended with a smirk.

"Plagg, claws out!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Anthony and Marinette hasn't stopped since they separated from the others, not even daring to look back. They weaved in and out of alleys, dodging people as they ran and avoiding running into the akuma and his traps. Anthony's grip on Marinette's hand tightened as they emerged into an open side street, carefully looking around to make sure they were alone. Once they were confident they were alone, he released her hand and whipped around to face her. "Yo, what the hell is wrong with your man?"

"'My man?' What is that supposed to mean? Adrien isn't my man."

"He sure as hell became protective like one, confronting me like that. Man, I thought he was going to try to beat me up," he commented while running his hands through his hair. After a moment, he placed one hand on his hip and kept the other in his hair, chuckling for some strange reason. "Huh, he almost picked a fight with me. Impressive."

"How is that impressive?"

"Look at me," he stated casually as he flexed, trying to flaunt his muscles. "I'm huge compared to him, he's near half my height."

"That's not true, and you know it. Besides, despite his height difference, I know for sure he has more muscles than you."

"Oh really? Are you admitting that you saw his body… naked?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. When she turned away from him and crossed her arms, he knew that he was right and that she was hiding a blush. "You did! You heathen! When, where, and why? Were you spying on him?"

"No way! We are seventeen and eighteen years old, we've gone to beaches and water parks before. Get your mind out of the gutter!" Whirling back to her brother, she tried leveling him with one of her famous glares she learned from their mother. They had an intense staring contest, with Marinette's arms crossed at her chest and Anthony posing with a hand back on his hip and the other in his hair. She tried to scowl at him, but was quickly losing her ill temper due to his lopsided smirk.

An airy giggle broke the two from their impromptu alpha-contest, and they turned to give the culprit their attention. "As cute as this is, I think the point of running away was to find a place to transform, Marinette," Tikki teased.

"That's right! I have a cat to find and an akuma to defeat! Tikki, spots- watch out!" she shouted as she pushed Anthony aside, narrowly dodging a rogue blast.

"Hey! Your fight is with me!" a familiar voice called from the distance, causing Marinette to look up. She near sighed in relief when she saw him, knowing that he would be able to fend himself and protect her brother while she found a place to transform.

"Why should I limit portal transportation to animals and inanimate objects when humans are better testing subjects?" With a cynical sneer, he pointed his hand towards the ground, trying to aim towards one of them.

"Oh, no you don't," Chat grunted as he hit the akuma as hard as he possibly could, sending him deep into the adjacent building. It would take him several minutes to emerge from the wreckage, so Chat knew there was plenty of time for the two to make it to safety. He inhaled deeply, steadying himself before he faced the girl he loved, the girl that he made cry. Jumping down with a casual smirk, he stood only a meter away from Marinette, resisting the urge to inhale her sweet scent. "Well hello there, prrrincess. Come here often?"

Marinette scoffed, slightly relieved he would make light of this situation. "A little too often, for my liking, chaton. We were trying to get a safe distance away, but it appears we didn't make it far enough."

"Seems so. Where do you plan to head… with him?" Chat Noir tried to ask as if he was casually concerned; he was as far as her safety was involved, but he didn't want to make it seem like he was jealous of Anthony's involvement, only curious. He already messed up once as Adrien, he didn't want to ruin it as Chat Noir. Chat tried to look at Anthony as he approached with curiosity, carefully masking his knowledge on who he is.

"Not sure, just somewhere away from the akuma," she answered, missing the indignant flick of his ear and the way his eyes turned into slits.

"That's right, I need to get my girl to safety before she turns into a pancake," Anthony tried to joke, only to receive a growl from Chat. Marinette turned to him in surprise, so he quickly covered it up by clearing his throat.

"I hate to correct you, but that's not exactly funny in this scenario. I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I am-"

"Not important right now," Marinette cut off, turning back towards Chat and disregarding her brother's indignant huff. "Did anyone get hurt so far?"

"Not as far as I know. People are avoiding the akuma as best as they can. The portals appear to lead to a different dimension, so I would stay a safe distance away from one if I were you, I'm not really sure what will happen if someone goes through."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, kitty, and please stay safe," she implored with a pleading look in her eye.

"I will, princess, and you two need to find a place to hide before the akuma returns."

Marinette nodded, not really sure how to continue from there. The persistant nudges from Tikki said that she needed to transform, but for some reason her heart told her to stay. It was stupid, she almost wanted to kiss him for good luck, but she wasn't sure if her luck proceeded to her civilian side. So with another nod, she turned back towards Anthony, who stood behind the pair with a calculating look on his face, which didn't sit well with Chat. When Anthony placed his hand at the small of Marinette's back, Chat had to force himself to look away, knowing that if he saw them any closer he might snap, and he didn't want to do something he would regret while he was transformed.

Just as Chat turned back towards the akuma, the akuma advanced and tried to take advantage of his back being turned. "Hey, Rocket Man! Don't you know it's impolite to strike someone when their back is turned?" Chat taunted as he deflected a blow, avoiding his hand at all costs.

"Huh, what would you know about being struck in the back? Do you know the feeling of being betrayed, kitty cat?"

"I don't appreciate the nickname, I already have someone that calls me that."

"Oh? Is it that beatle you always trail after? Where is she anyway?"

"She is a ladybug, and she will be here soon to kick your ass."

"I bet she ran away, she's too much of a coward to face me herself, and she's letting you do all the hard work. Just because I don't live in Paris doesn't mean I don't notice these things. This isn't the first time she had you scope one of us akumas out by yourself."

"You have no place questioning our partnership, Moon Man."

"Stop calling me different names! I'm Trou Noir!"

"There's only room for one Noir here, and that's the cat. And, as far as I'm concerned, you don't have ears and a tail, so you can devise a new name."

"Not if I take you out first," the akuma stated cryptically as he pointed his hand towards Chat Noir. Firing the blast, the akuma looked haughty and assured that he would hit his target. Meanwhile, Chat stepped into his defending stance, confident that he could deflect the blast like he does with every akuma. However, a shrill cry from behind made his ear twitch and his eyes widen in horror.

"Chat!"

"Mari-" Before he could finish her name or even turn around, he felt himself being pushed out of the way from the blast, causing a portal to appear behind them. In terrifying realization, Chat noticed the portal was more like a black hole, sucking in anything within close range. He was far enough away from it that it didn't pull him in, but Marinette wasn't. Her mouth gaped open as if she was trying to scream but couldn't. Her bright blue eyes were dulled in hopelessness as she was swallowed by the portal, disappearing into the vast darkness inside. Silence ensued for a few seconds before Chat could pull himself together and realize what just occurred. "MARINETTE!"

* * *

**I know what you're going to say, and I'm so sorry! I apologize for the late update, as you can see, the chapter is much longer than the last few I posted. As far as time went, the last month went by in a whir. You see, I have an 'essential' job during this time, so I worked many more hectic hours while trying to figure out any last-minute details for my schooling. Despite having three weeks of spring break, I never really had a single day to really sit down and write. It doesn't help that I had major writers' block during this chapter (it was seriously bad during the first page). However, once I got started, it was difficult to stop. There was a lot of fillers in this chapter, but it made it longer.**

**On another note, I just had to mention that this will be the second to last chapter of this story! I know, I'm sad too, but hopefully I could finish this story and start another one. I feel so bad, because I tend to take longer to post more stories, but maybe I'll take a short break and post one and two-shot stories to practice my creative writing. As stated, after this, there will be one more chapter, so just hang in there, and I hope to post within another two weeks! Stay tuned!**


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